|
Making A Splash With Your Web Site |
|
|
|
|
Saturday, 12 June 2004 |
"A friend of mine was telling me that in your book, The Complete Guide To Internet Promotion, it talks about having your web site load as quickly as possible. Preferably 8 seconds or less. He said, you talked about a "splash" page in your book. What is "splash page" and how can I tell if my site is as fast as it needs to be for my fans and visitors?"
Hey Tim Sweeney,
"A friend of mine was telling me that in your book, The Complete Guide To Internet Promotion, it talks about having your web site load as quickly as possible. Preferably 8 seconds or less. He said, you talked about a "splash" page in your book. What is "splash page" and how can I tell if my site is as fast as it needs to be for my fans and visitors?"
A "splash" page is an introductory page to your web site that merely sets the "mood" for your site and music. It typically consists of a high quality picture, your band logo or album cover. Its main purpose besides providing an introduction into the "experience" the visitor will be encountering is to, provide an almost immediate response, to the visitor's attempt to quickly reach you through your site.
Too many artists using the Internet today make the classic mistake of "overdoing" their sites. They put in far too many graphics, pictures and MP3 files, in their sites that are not properly programmed. Thus providing for the typical music fan, an extremely slow loading site that features a "gray" or "black" screen for long periods of time (by Internet standards) and detracts from the site's main purpose, to sell CDs.
So is adding a "splash" page and deleting a few files, the answer to having a quick loading site fans will be happy with? No.
To see how fans are truly viewing your site and how fast it is for them, DO NOT use DSL or a cable modem connection to review your site. Use a 56 K phone modem connection. While it is true that almost half of the people in this country are online, only a small percentage of them have DSL or cable modems at home, compared to the vast millions who use a 56 K connection. Don't be mislead by advertising that tells you otherwise. The greatest percentage of music fans who buy CDs online have 56 K and use AOL. Make sure that your site works best for them.
Which brings up a good last point. Be sure to program your site for, Netscape and Internet Explorer. If you don't, you will have a poorly programmed site that some people can see properly, while others can't. Don't lose potential CD sales to a slow moving site or one that is not programmed for all browsers.
Make sure to use the flow chart on page 38 of The Complete Guide To Internet Promotion for Musicians, Artists & Songwriters, to design your site like the best selling ones out there. If you don't have a copy, you can order one from the book section at http://www.tsamusic.com
Keep one last thought in the mind. Just because a new technology exists, doesn't mean you have to use it. Especially until you know how to use it well enough to get the greatest benefit out of it!
| Comments () >> |
 |
|
|
Last Updated ( Saturday, 12 June 2004 )
|
