As broadband speeds get ever faster, people also expect to find what they are looking for quickly. This not only means having a fast loading website, but it also means your visitors need to find the information they are looking for straight away. Your home page is your "shop window" and you only have a few seconds to convince potential customers before they visit your competitors. Few visitors will bother scrolling below the fold of the page to find out more about you. So how do you sell your business in 15 seconds when all you have is a 1024 x 768 screen?

 

The answer is a home page slideshow. This displays a sequence of fading images, each of which contains a description. Each slide illustrates a different element of your business and includes a link to the relevant page on your site. There are a number of advantages:

 

1. Visuals often say more than words, a slideshow is guaranteed to capture your visitors attention.

2. The slideshow uses Javascript rather than Flash so it loads quickly and is search engine friendly.

3. The slideshow displays a lot of information in a small space very quickly. It's ideal for visitors with a short attention span.

 

If you visit the recently redesigned CareerBalance website, you'll see an example of just how effective a home page slideshow is.