In Defense of Splash Pages May 4, 2009
When it comes to website design, I’m a big proponent of usability. I like sites that load quickly, present me with clear choices and minimize graphics and Flash. I believe the design should serve the content, and that anything that gets between the user and the information they are looking for should be removed. This focus on usability is the overall philosophy of The Bivings Group, although I probably take it to the extreme in my preference for minimalism.
Generally speaking, this focus on usability serves the needs of both the client and the end user. Online branding is more than just soothing colors, cool photos and catchy slogans. How people perceive your brand online is largely determined by whether they find what they are looking for. In most cases usability equals good branding.
However, there are times when the needs of the site owners and the visitors diverge. Splash pages are one such example.
A splash page is an interim page on a site where the visitor is typically asked to perform an action, such as signing up for the site’s list or make a donations. These splash pages are used frequently on political websites (see example from the Obama campaign site above).
As an end user, I hate splash pages. I’m rarely interested in turning over my email, and don’t like the extra step of having to skip through the page to get to the content I’m actually looking for. I’m sure most users feel the same way.
As a site developer, I find myself consistently recommending splash pages despite the usability issues.
Why?
Primarily because they work. On projects I’ve worked on I’ve seen splash pages harvest emails from up to 30% of site visitors. Even less successful splash pages will get emails from 5-10% of visitors. This is much, much higher than the response rate you are going to get from a sign up form that is integrated into your overall site design. Splash pages work because they present users with a simple choice. Are you going to give us your email or not? Less prominent sign up calls on your site don’t force this decision. Most people aren’t going to give you their email unless you ask for it, clearly and maybe even a little obnoxiously.
For many, the need to collect emails (or donations) outweighs the annoyance splash pages cause site visitors and the damage to the user experience. If you are trying to build support online, you simply have to make building a big email list a focus of your online efforts. Email is what drives traffic, action and donations. A big email list means relevance.
With the success the campaigns had in 2008 with splash pages , I’d get used to the practice. Splash pages are simply too effective for developers not to use them, no matter how much it may pain them to do so.
Note: If you are going to deploy a splash page, please, please, please set it up so that a user only sees the page periodically. We usually set it up so that users who do not sign up see the page every two weeks or so. Also, make sure to set it up so that if users have already signed up for your email list they never see the splash page again. These steps will minimize the disruption to users who visit your site frequently.
