A Good Splash Page is Gold! {web marketing}

By: Erica May

I know a lot of PhotoBizzers who have Fantastic Splash pages but I also know a lot of photographers who are unsure what it is, why you need one, and how you customize it to look consistent with the rest of your website. I am here to help! The splash page is usually your client’s first impression of you and you definitely want it to be a good one! You also will want it to look like the rest of your branding so you need to customize it. I like that my splash page has my background, color scheme, and logo on it that I use on all of my marketing materials that way when a potential client visits my page they really don’t even have to read the words to know it is my page. I want them to see it and know right away that it is me. You also want your splash page to grab any web surfers that may click on your link off of a search engine. By using just a few words and a few eye-catching images you can stop a surfer in their tracks! The images on your splash page, whether it be an adorable baby, a couple in love, a stunning landscape, or a sweet moment, will conjure up an emotional response from the web surfer and leave them wanting to see more. I have made up a list of some helpful tips to think about when designing your splash page:

1.) Keep it fresh – Update the images on your splash page often. I know it is a hassle to update that splash page with new pictures but by keeping the images fresh and new a client coming back to your site after a few months away doesn’t want to see the same images that had them on the fence about your work last time they visited. You need to rock their socks off with new pictures that say “come on, you know you want a picture like this.” So get on there and update your splash page every few months. You want some of your best work to be there not the old image you made two years ago.

2.) Keep it simple – Don’t overload your splash page with a ton of text. It is nice to have a brief description of your work at the bottom so people know what area you serve and what kind of photography you do.

3.) Hello? Who are you? - Ok, people… put your contact information on your splash page. Grandma Rose might get lost and not get this whole splash and flash website thing so put your phone number and e-mail address right on the front page.

4.) No HTML button needed – Purchased an HTML page for your site? Awesome! PhotoBiz will automatically redirect your Flash website to an HTML website if the customer’s viewing device doesn’t have flash or is on a dial-up internet connection.

Tutorial Time!!

So, you are all set to make a rocking splash page now right? Some of you might be saying “wait Erica but HOW do we make our splash page rock??” I am going to give you step by step directions on how I made my splash page (pictured below)!

1.) Go to the Splash intro section on your control panel and click on background:

This is where you can upload your customized background. It can be a JPG or a PNG image and the max dimensions are 1500 x 865 pixels.

2.) Click on “Logo” and upload your customized logo. I recommend uploading a PNG image that way you can have a transparent background it will make your logo look seamless and professional instead of seeing a background around it:

3.) Click on “Details” – this is the page where you will need to click to activate your splash page (don’t worry it won’t become live until you publish your website). You can also choose a splash background color in case your background doesn’t go all the way to the edge. Also, select a text color that will show up against your background.

The Footer Text area is where you can write a description about your business and your contact information. Here is what mine says:

“Erica May is an award-winning North Texas Portrait Photographer with a fun, fresh, and timeless style serving the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and surrounding areas. Erica May Photography specializes in unique custom photography for newborns, babies, children, teens, seniors, families, maternity, engagements, bridals, and weddings. Please call 214-801-9355 or email erica@ericamayphotography.com to schedule a session!”

4.) Do you want these cute little buttons at the bottom of your splash page?

Yeah, they are just too adorable to pass up =P. The PhotoBiz button can be grabbed HERE and paste the code right in underneath your text. The other buttons need to be uploaded to your hosting domain so they have somewhere to reside on the web. Photobiz can help you out with this if I just lost you but here is what I did. I made the buttons I wanted to use and then uploaded them to a folder on my server (blog/images). Then go to the footer and use this coding to add your button:
Just substitute your link, address of where the button can be found, and button name and woolah you have a cute little button on your page.

5.) Click on SEO optimization and add a description and key words for your business so search engines can find you.

6.) Ok, you have a background, a logo, and a footer. You are almost done!! Time to get your links up there to direct clients to your different pages. The trick for getting your buttons to seamlessly integrate on your page is to make them png files with the background transparent that way whatever background you chose for your splash page is shown behind the image. I make my graphics in Fireworks. My page buttons are 350 x 350 pixels (except for the middle one) but you can play around and see what size works best for you. On my page I purchased some digital frames to hold my photos and added the page name on the graphic. Here is what mine looks like:

To add your images as your links go to the Splash Intro Tab and click on “Create Intro Link”

Follow the steps to add all of your links and then click “Preview” to view your new Splash page. You have now made a completely custom Splash Page that will easily direct your clients to where they need to go. As always, feel free to contact PhotoBiz and their awesome support team can assist you if you get stuck.
For some more inspiration here are some of my favorite splash pages:

I hope that I have given you some valuable tips on how to design your custom Splash Page. There are lots of different ways to do it so play around and make yours unique!

Erica May

{owner, photographer}

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