What are website Carousels? Website carousels are photo sliders, or photo slideshows often used on the homepage of websites.
I don’t want anyone to think I have a deep hatred for all website carousels.
Seriously, I really don’t.
I actually really like seeing my wedding photography competitors use them. 😉
What’s the Problem With Website Slideshows anyway?
Ok, so here’s the thing! Website sliders don’t mirror the way we use the web anymore.
Users (that’s me and you!) are impatient. Over 50% of us are using mobile devices, and we want instant gratification.
We want fast loading pages that are clear to understand and give us answers to our questions.
After analysing the Google Analytics data for hundreds of photographers websites, I can confidently tell you that the average time on a homepage in only a couple of minutes.
The harsh truth is, users simply do not see all of the photos in a carousel slider.
So when you get a slider of images used on the homepage, it’s like taking your entire wardrobe on holiday then wearing a tiny selection. You have all of the downsides of lugging it around an airport and in and out of taxis and literally none of the benefits.
I have a sneaking suspicion that photo slideshows are only used because photographers cannot choose one favourite image.
Homepage Photo Slideshow: Keep it or bin it?
To decide whether to keep or get rid of your homepage photo slideshow, I’d recommend testing the load speed of your site and looking for where the delays are.
Also, look at the time users spend on your homepage and what the bounce rate for that page is.
Further Reading
If you’d like to check out the rest of my articles on web designer related SEO, head over to my main web designer page.
Website Carousel Best Practices: Supporting Resources
It’s not just me that thinks they’re an awful idea, these people agree:
Read about Yoast’s article on sliders
Search Engine Land: Homepage-sliders-bad-for-useability
A recent thread from the Moz community discussing sliders: good or bad?
