Splash Page . . .

[wrdm]

Do I need one for my website?

I know that the home page is basically invisible to google and I've been considering creating a basic page that will help with the SEO and ranking for my site.

As I said nothing fancy, just 3 options, site, blog and facebook, and maybe some descriptive text.

Perthshire Wedding, Portrait and Event Photographer - Martin Ward Photography

Let me know you thoughts.

[archersdad]

I don't like splash pages. They always seem like an unnecessary extra step. If you are set on using one, it should load instantly. Get rid of that flash and just display a simple image, or even just a logo, along with large links to the various parts of your site.

[Niresangwa]

try the search function. there was an extensive discussion about this a couple of months ago.

[Biomech]

"Splash" pages are essentially a visual cue used whilst things load - like being on hold and getting the music so you know there is actually something happening.

So you often get splash pages for software (Pshop, Lightroom etc) and on heavy flash websites.

There is no value in having a splash page for a standard website, infact it would harm your SEO. Landing pages or "portals" can be used where you have options for the user to choose; age restricted sites, choose your country etc. Some photographers use these for "blog","website","facebook" etc.

Personally, I don't see the point as most of that info should be on the main website anyway.

If you just think that you need to get the most information to the user in the shortest, quickest time possible and cut out pointless steps - then you're onto a winner.

Infact Martin, looking at your site your essentially have a website with no content rather than a splash page. If you want to keep it simple. I'd move the links to above the image and then have 2 columns under the image with text.

[BuddhaPi]

Originally Posted by Biomech

Infact Martin, looking at your site your essentially have a website with no content rather than a splash page. If you want to keep it simple. I'd move the links to above the image and then have 2 columns under the image with text.

SEO= content, content, content or pay for ad-wrods

[Biomech]

content or pay for ad-wrods

Or both :P

[wrdm]

Originally Posted by Biomech

Infact Martin, looking at your site your essentially have a website with no content rather than a splash page. If you want to keep it simple. I'd move the links to above the image and then have 2 columns under the image with text.

And therein lies my problem, at the moment I'm stuck with the template site that comes from "Online Picture Proof". I can't move anything around myself I need to request their support team to do it.

I've looked at my site using lynx browser - Lynx (web browser) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - it essentially lets you see what search engines see, and the text right at the bottom which says "Wedding, portrait and events photographer based in Perth covering Perth, Edinburgh, Fife, Dundee, Stirling, Falkirk and Glasgow." is the only place I could think to try and pad out some information to try and improve the SEO content of the home page, although, again, I'd want this to be above the copyright, and this content has to appear on every single page, or so I've been told, which in my opinion is going to look ridiculous.

I ran a google adwords campaign through January, I got 50-odd clicks from it and it cost £15, not a huge amount but when you consider that it'd didn't generate a single sales enquiry I don't think that it is really worth while at the moment.

I think the overall, I have a site that displays nice pictures, it does heehaw from a sales and marketing point of view. The lack of content, and inability to add content to my homepage is seriously damaging my ability to connect and hook a potential customer, it offers them nothing to want them to hire me to take their photos.

This is why I thought that a HTML based splash page infront of the website would possibly help me put a face out there, make us real to people who click into our site. I've been working all day on an "About Us" blurb that would satisfy SEO but I have to say that I've got nowhere.

Think it's possibly time to find a new website . . . . . . . . Sorry folks, rant over!!!!

[BK553]

I would skip the landing page, you really don't see them anywhere on the web anymore and they really serve no purpose, maybe back in the dialup days, but not now when pageload times are so fast.

The best way to improve your pagerank is to get people to link to you, so that means making connections with others the old fashioned way. That, or spamming your link all over the net like some people do.

[Biomech]

If you're not much of a techy you could try a masked redirect.
Basically, grab an account at wordpress.com, add a custom theme from the admin area and do it all up nice.
Then set you domain name (url) to forward with masking to wordpress. That way you'll have the features of wordpress, but maintain your domain name. Although in all honesty I find it easier to just get hosting with cPanel and wordpress on it :P

Little things with links too, in you sig you have "MyWebsite" - doesn't mean a lot. If you change that to you actual website it's descriptive. DPS should have a decent PageRank too so linking here should help your overall SEO

[wrdm]

Originally Posted by Biomech

If you're not much of a techy you could try a masked redirect.
Basically, grab an account at wordpress.com, add a custom theme from the admin area and do it all up nice.
Then set you domain name (url) to forward with masking to wordpress. That way you'll have the features of wordpress, but maintain your domain name. Although in all honesty I find it easier to just get hosting with cPanel and wordpress on it :P

Little things with links too, in you sig you have "MyWebsite" - doesn't mean a lot. If you change that to you actual website it's descriptive. DPS should have a decent PageRank too so linking here should help your overall SEO

Do you mean to put "Martin Ward Photography" or the actual address in the sig bar??

What you said there about wordpress sounds like a foreign language to me, I don't know how to work wordpress at all and it looks as complicated as can be