The Pitfalls of Splash Pages

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November 27th, 2009 by Nick

You will often see a website with what is called a splash page. This is an introductory page to the website. They are designed to create impact, but unfortunately when it comes to SEO, these pages are not effective.

The usual format for a splash page is a page including imagery or animation. You will typically be given a choice of which format you would like to see the website – for example with Flash or without. There is usually no text content and they force the visitor to click again in order to enter the main site. This is where your search engine optimisation will hit problems.

Google searches for textual content and does not have the ability to recognise Flash files. This means Google will see a blank page which will perform poorly on search listings.

There is also an issue with PageRank flow. Google uses links from pages at the top level of the website allowing Google to run the PageRank through the internal pages. As a typical splash page does not have a menu there are no links for Google to follow, except to the homepage. This means the website finds itself ranked lower than it normally is. This causes problems with PR flow and can create a low PageRank for the site’s pages at top level.

Splash pages do allow your web design team to demonstrate their design skills and will load quickly in comparison to the rest of the site but most visitors find them simply annoying and can leave the site as soon as they see a splash page. Make sure you consider the pros and cons carefully before you add one to your site.

For more guidance with your SEO contact us as Click Consult.

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