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What is a splash page? It is also called as a landing page and is a stand-alone page used in direct marketing to increase conversions or email captures. Wikipedia also calls it the “destination page.” Splash pages are designed to be incorporated into a marketing plan. Their specific purpose is to drive users toward an action.
The details above the fold are designed to direct you to the opt-in form.
The splash page usually appears when you first “land” on a website and stands between you and the homepage of the website you want to browse. It is a type of paid advertisement that marketers use to promote a product, service, or the company itself.
They are designed in a way to draw the user’s attention to the call-to-action with sounds, a smart question, or flashy graphics.
Here is a walkthrough to answer what is a splash page and the two types marketers usually use. And Neil Patel showing you how to create a high-converting landing page:
The Two Types of Landing Pages
Landing pages are used primarily for B2B marketing, lead capture pages are used to capture names and email addresses acting as a form of lead generation.
Lastpass got it right with a clear headline about what it can do for you.
2. The E-Commerce Click-Through
These splash pages have a simple design and have only a click on a button as its call to action.
Shopify understands who it’s target market is.
Should You Use It?
The consensus is that while splash pages do bring in extra emails and lead it also acts as a deterrent. Users don’t like to be welcomed to a website with an immediate request for them to hand over their personal information.
The pages don’t offer them any useful content and take a while to load. The user is then blocked from entering the site until they either close the screen or give the requested information.
The theme and designs of the splash pages sometimes don’t match the theme that is used on the website itself, and some studies show users clicked out of a site because they were immediately hit with a landing page. The “bounce rate” is higher if the site is a mobile site.
Another major negative is that a splash page can negatively impact your SEO because search bots depend heavily on your homepage for indexing and link navigation.
Even with its negatives, however, there are some ideal instances in which the splash page could be useful.
What is a Splash Page and When Should You Use One?
1. As a Disclaimer or Warning
The landing page could be used to restrict access to websites that may have sensitive material inappropriate for younger viewers.
2. To direct users to the appropriate area in a website, such as in the case when websites are available in a variety of languages.
3. To inform the visitor about site requirements, such as those that use Java, Flash, or QuickTime.
4. If the decision to use a landing page is design-driven and suggested by a designer or to announce the presence of sound to the user.
5. Landing pages are used to direct the user to essential parts of the site if the site is large.
How to Use a Splash Page?
Be Relevant
In using landing pages, they should have a short-term, specific purpose to using them. For example, a yearly donation drive with a specific end date and goal. Or perhaps an initiative to collect as many leads as possible during a small window of time.
Allow a Quick Opt-Out
To offset the possibility of a bounce, make the opt-out option fast and easy. And offer an opt-out! Remember that users don’t like splash pages so use them sparingly and when you do offer a quick out
Find a Way to Provide Value
A lot of websites offer free products to users who share their email and name. They will offer a newsletter, a series of emails over the course of a few days that teach them a specific skill, and even entire e-books!
One exciting example is offering a useful practical tool such as the template of a budget or productivity sheet.
Make the design of your landing page simple. Have the design flow with the overall design of your website.
There are few pitfalls to watch out for when venturing to use the landing pages. Don’t make a landing page obstructive by ignoring the importance of optimizing the navigation of the page.
Don’t use the splash page if it is neither helpful nor necessary. Remember that users tend NOT to like them. Their experience should be the primary consideration.
Another turn-off is when the elements of the splash pages are not apparent, and the user has to scroll along the page to be able to navigate.
Final thoughts:
When deciding to use a landing page think carefully about whether it is beneficial to your user and if it makes it easy for your user to navigate and understand the action they need to take. You would want to avoid the mistakes in creating a landing page.
Now that you know what is a splash page, you can then offer them value through the creation of an info-product they can apply practically.