What is a Splash Page? Splash Pages vs Landing Pages

Creating a digital face for your business should help you reach the right types of audience globally. From the services you provide to the look of the website, everything influences the decision of consumers to stick to a brand.

Statistically, users take 50 milliseconds to prepare the first impression and decide to stay on the page or bounce. Entrepreneurs focus on creating a high-quality landing page to attract customers in digital marketing endeavors, as it is one of the first things they notice.

Another name that people here in this context is a Splash Page. Yet, most do not clearly understand it or why it is essential to optimize website quality and reach. Here, we shall discuss that further, especially in comparison to landing pages.

What is a Splash Page?

In general, 47% of users expect the loading time for any website to be around 2 seconds, maximum. Before the main home page comes up, though, many websites have a splash page that appears first. In these cases, the splash page creates the first impression for users when they click on a link.

Most developers design splash pages with a value-centric headline, illustrations, and high-definition images. They include a concise body text with the form and a CTA. Typically, these pages include three elements:

• Minimal body copy with relevant information
• Top-grade and relatable visuals
• CTA or call to action

In some situations, the splash page appears as a popup, but they can be designed as generic web pages as well. In addition, you can incorporate the splash page before different web pages and not specifically the home page. Often, companies use this to funnel their leads.

Most companies utilize splash pages to advertise their new event or launch. Here, users can integrate the ability to choose languages and regions, for example, in the case of ecommerce websites. In terms of promotional activities, splash pages often display tempting offers or product images in a creative manner. It works to instigate visitors to browse through the website further.

Additionally, many companies incorporate a splash page as a warning for visitors as well, in case of sensitive content or other disclaimers.

Pros and Cons of a Splash Page

Splash Pages include simplistic content with a background image as well as the main website URL. One way to do this is via adding a “Continue to Site” CTA. It works as a teaser for the new visitors, giving them a basic idea of what they can expect from continuing to the site web pages. There are particular overall advantages you can expect from splash pages, such as:

Speedy loading

The splash pages do not hold a lot of details, only a small caption body. So, the loading speed of these pages is fast since they do not take a lot of space via servers. In addition, visitors notice and read the small-scale content faster in the little time they take to see the page and form their opinion.

Gives a choice

Many companies add choices for the users on the splash page, like the language and other specifications they wish to use.

Showcase the brand image

The image on a website, or its components like the splash page, is a good visual medium for attracting customers. Statistically, users take 5.94 seconds approximately to view the main image of the website. When they see the splash page, which forms the first impression, adding a high-quality image should give visitors a representation of the brand.

Feedback section

With a splash page, you can gather insight into the preferences of your users for web design. Analyze how they respond to the splash page(s) you show, focusing on metrics like Bounce Rates, Entrance, and their Average Time on the Website.

There are some disadvantages to this as well. They include:

Outdated

Splash pages were usable and popular earlier, but they do not grab the attention of the current user demographics.

Faulty JS connection

These are made with JavaScript codes, which prevent the search engines from pulling any of the content to the site pages.

Low SEO score

Splash pages are essentially just a huge graphic or animation. There is no space for a lot of content, which generally drives SEO ranking on search engines.

Unnecessary

These pages do not have much use, and most people skip them without reaching the content. In fact, 25% of website visitors leave a site if they see a splash page even before reaching the main page.

Differences Between Splash Pages and Landing Pages

Now that you understand what a splash Page is, let us consider its relation with landing pages. To note, a landing page benefits the companies to meet a specific goal with their product launch or their digital marketing campaign.

End-users visit the landing pages of websites via marketing channels like email or social media. It operates as a dedicated CTA for the company and is not connected to other website sections. The landing page drives sales and increases conversions for companies with websites after you provide them with relevant KPI details. To note, landing pages hold a 23% conversion rate on average.

Both Splash page and landing page are not very similar in its very base. So, why are they used in a similar context? Here are the main differences you can note.

Seven splash page examples for inspiration

If you are planning to create a high-quality splash Page for your business, take reference from other successful initiatives first. Through them, you can get an idea of what to focus on to create a relevant and unique Splash Page.

Age verification (Budweiser)

The splash page or pages on this site are food examples for the following reasons-

• Legal verification– Budweiser is a beer company, so age verification is important for legal reasons. So, the splash pages before entering the homepage cover these points, like the age selection. Additionally, options for location and language preference are also available.
• Gradient imagery-The font is bold while the image of the Budweiser product is partially transparent or gradient in the background. This creates a classy appearance.

Delicious newsletter signup (Gimme Some Oven)

Here are notable elements of this splash page.

• Straightforward– The information is to-the-page, asking users to subscribe to get recipes.
• Keeping with the brand identity– The font, design, image, and color go perfectly with the welcoming tone of the brand. That sets the brand identity for new viewers before entering the site.

Mobile-friendly email list signup (Tom Ford)

Here are the notable elements of this splash page.

• Mobile-friendly– The splash page on Tom Ford website is short and to the point. Plus, it fits appropriately on both mobile and web platforms.
• Focused prompt– The question here focuses only on the main objective, i.e., to sign-up with the email address.

Creepy cool email capture (KILLSTAR)

This splash page displays:

• Brand personality– The splash page of this website keeps up with the main theme of the brand well.
• Engaging design– The layout of the splash page is colorful, with broad fonts. That grabs attention highly.

Email in exchange for a special discount (J. Crew)

The splash page of this brand has notable things it does well:

• To-the point-purpose– It answers an important question to the visitors regarding the site, i.e., the shipping information and help information. On other splash pages on this site, users get the prompt to provide the email address for a high-quality discount.
• Simple design– The layout is simple for this splash page, with short text in a legible font and monochrome background.

Report download (Conversion Gods)

The best thing about the splash page of Conversion Gods is:

• Simple design– The splash page layout here is simplistic, with no flashy colors or animations. Only an image of the product on offer is available with the prompt to make the purchase.
• Multi-device optimization– The splash page is suitable for desktop and mobile use. Statistically, 85% of users believe that a site is better if it looks well on the mobile screen compared to on the desktop. So, the ability of this page to adapt to both screen resolutions is beneficial to the brand.

Language selection (Zara)

The best things about Zara’s splash page are:

• Zero copies– There are drop-down boxes available on Zara’s splash page. This allows the users to choose the language they wish to notice the information in, and there is no space for copy text here. This improves the visuality of the message as well.
• Brand-specific imagery– Zara is one of the top brands in the industry. So, the stylish high-fashion model image portrays the brand image aptly. This gives the visitors an impression of what they can expect from the rest of the site content.

Four tips for creating an effective splash page

You should take the right steps to prepare an efficient splash page. Here are some tips you should take seriously while focusing on this creation for your business website.

Consider using popups or overlays instead of an entirely separate splash page.

You can improve the quality of your website with an overlay design to the splash page or create it in a popup format. This would allow the page to look less cluttered due to big graphics or extensive information.

Keep your splash page simple

Keep the copy you add to your splash page concise with to-the-point text. Make sure to mention the main prompt for the visitor; most of them would not spend time reading the long intro-like content on a small splash page.

Make your splash page design responsive

Create a non-intrusive and responsive design of your splash page, syncing with different browsers, devices, and digital eco-systems smoothly. Slow navigation would decrease the interest of users.

Keep an eye on the analytics

Take note of your performance analytics of the splash page, like page metrics, bounce rate, success ratios, impressions, and exits. Test different page designs constantly to understand what resonates with your audience best.

Conclusion

Overall, splash pages are as useful as landing pages for the success of websites. The former provides relevant information to visitors and creates a first impression. So, give equal importance to creating a useful splash page as much as towards landing page development.

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