Slider Alternatives
Published on February 18, 2014
Published on Wealthy Affiliate — a platform for building real online businesses with modern training and AI.
A couple of days ago I wrote a blog here called "Put Down the Slider, Step Away From the Carousel". It mentions why you should not use sliders or carousels on your site. They hurt conversions, they hurt SEO, they're annoying, confusing, distracting, and totally ignored by the average reader.
However, I didn't provide any alternatives. So I wrote up a lengthy post on the various alternatives here, but I want to give WA members a quicker list that you might look through. I know you already know about building websites so I don't have to go into deep explanations. ;)
#1. Don't use sliders - Seriously, if you have sliders and big moving images at the top of your site and ask me to review it, I will give you at the most 5/10. Harsh, I know. But I'm a programmer, I don't have a lot of sympathy for "fancy design". I'm sorry, just don't use them.
#2. Create a static call to action - Sometimes visitors come to your site already knowing what the product is. (From a keyword search.) That's great, put that call to action on the homepage and get people straight to what you know they already want.
#3. Sign-up forms - This is especially good for new sites that aren't complete yet. Or if the majority of your marketing is done through newsletters. Get people to sign up straight away and make sure those new visitors come back!
#4. Use a video - You know that video on the wealthyaffiliate.com homepage? It explains the site and tells you exactly what you're getting on sign up. Videos are a great way to get conversions from the homepage.
#5. Minimize the slider - If you really, really, really want a slider in order to be trendy and gain the designer seal of approval. Make it small. Really small. Make sure it's not the focus, because if it is, I guarantee no one will click on it. (OK, maybe about 1% of your visitors.)
#6. Move it down - Move that slider all the way down, straight to the bottom. Sliders are like potted plants. Don't put them on the counter in front of your receptionist. Put them in the corner like the aesthetic pleasers they are!
Simple, concise, to the point. No sliders. Moving images are terrible. Just...don't...promise?
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