Splash Pages and Your Search Engine Optimization Campaign

Splash pages are graphically appealing introductory pages to your Web site. These pages are usually laden with .gif and .jpg images or, as is more frequently the case, utilize Flash animation. (NOTE: Flash animation requires a special plug-in which must be downloaded.) Some splash pages will automatically refresh to the home page after the visual display is over. Others will offer a link to skip the Flash animation, and then redirects the user to the home page after the animation is complete. (NOTE: Most redirects are considered to be spam.)

How Splash can Ultimately Destroy Your Search Engine Optimization Campaign

Web designers love using splash pages. It allows them to tap into their creativity bank and come up with some real cutting edge designs. Once they present the page to their client, the client inevitably loves it. After all, who wouldn't want an eye-catching visual to introduce their website to the world?

If you've been reading our articles on search engines, you should have a basic idea of how they work. That being said, let's take a look at a few factors that can have a negative impact on your search engine optimization campaign when it comes to using splash pages:

1. Splash pages do not incorporate an internal linking structure (navigation). The absence of navigation on a home page is detrimental to the success of your search engine optimization campaign. Search engines rely on a proper linking structure to correctly index a site. A spider will follow the links you have on each page to effectively crawl, and ultimately index, your site.

2. Splash pages are made primarily with images or Flash animation. You already know that search engine spiders thrive on keyword-rich content. In fact, the more content, the better. If a search engine spider arrives at your splash page and can't find any text to crawl, what do you think will happen? You got it -- they will move on to another site that has content. So, in essence, your "awesome" splash page is nothing more than visual appeal, and visual appeal isn't enough to sell where search engine optimization is concerned.

3. Splash pages serve no real benefit to the web user. Web users want information and they want it now. Some splash pages are so intricate they can take up to 30 seconds to fully load. That's 30 seconds wasted in the minds of the web user. To think more like a web user, consider this: Let's say you need to make a quick dash to the convenience store to get diapers for your very wet and irritated 4-month old baby. You strap screaming Susie into her car seat and make your way to the 7-11 up the street. You park in front of the store and are immediately bombarded by a three-ring circus in front of the entrance. The clowns, the jugglers, the elephants -- they're all performing, vying for your attention. And, the worse part is, you are at their mercy. You can't get in the store until they let you. All you are concerned with is buying diapers for screaming Susie. Your blood starts boiling and you are getting annoyed. At this point, you have a choice: a) you can either wait for the three-ring circus to end, or b) you can make a beeline for the Circle K around the corner. What would you do?

Conclusion

What designers don't realize is that they don't have to work so hard building a splash page to get the web users attention. If they're on the site, you've already got their attention. Rather than spend all that time creating an eye-catching splash page that really is doing more harm than good, spend your time more effectively by improving the overall quality of your site -- the content, keyword density, linking strategies, usability and navigation -- that will ultimately increase your search engine ranking potential.

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