Homepage Slideshows Could be Costing You Clicks and Leads

Posted February 17, 2014 in Accurate message delivery by TechArk Support

(Guest Post by Hendrik-Jan Francke – web usability expert)
Studies show users might be missing your important messages
Slideshows, or carousels are a popular homepage feature that seem like a great way for multiple pieces of content to occupy prime real estate above the fold. However, more information isn’t always better.

Recent research suggests the slideshow might be hurting your homepage, not helping it.

Users only view one or two slides: In a study by Notre Dame, only 1% of users click on a slide show feature and 84% of these clicks were on the first slide.
Auto-scrolling slides distract users: Studies show that motion from transitioning from slide to slide decreases visibility for the slide and the rest of the page.

Bottom line – your important slideshow messages are being missed by your customers and prospects! Users make a judgement within just 3 seconds if they want to continue looking at your site – if that information isn’t on the first slide, they probably won’t click further.

Do this instead:

Be strong: create 1 powerful brand tile instead of 3 ‘ok’ brand tiles

If you think you have several strong messages weaved throughout three or four rotating slides, imagine the impact of unifying them into one, powerful, mega-message. Tell your audience how your help with one compelling message that describes your brand and directly impacts their pains. Less is more.

Improve the impact of your homepage by taking an outside-in perspective

Take a look at your homepage from the perspective of a prospect or client. Do you think this slideshow is effective? Are you seeing what you want to see? Is the content buried somewhere that’s not easy to find? If so, consider how changing your homepage layout could improve the impact of the homepage and increase your website conversions.

Generate more leads and sales with strong website messaging

Before your customers even pick up the phone to call you, they probably check out your website. If your message is not clear, front, and center, you could be losing leads. Think about what your audience needs and create one strong home page that explains how you help!
Hendrik-Jan is the owner, creative director, usability expert, and lead generation specialist of Bright Orange Thread. He and the Bright Orange Thread team apply their web usability, design, and digital marketing expertise to deliver intelligently designed online presences that help companies increase leads and conversions.

Visit Bright Orange Thread’s blog to discover more content marketing, usability, and online marketing insights.

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