Splash Page: What it is and how to create one

A splash page is a special welcome screen you display to website visitors when they first land on your website. The page would typically make some kind of announcement related to your brand or products.

Splash pages play an interesting role in modern digital marketing strategies. While some folks use it to promote special offers and discounts, others use it to capture key details of their website visitors.

Whatever way you use them, splash pages can add to the user experience or hurt it depending on how they’re implemented. As we’ve mentioned, these screens appear first thing when a user lands on your website. That means if the page is not correctly displayed, it can stop users from ever interacting with your site.

You don’t want that.

So, in this article, we’ll show you how to build a high-converting splash page to accomplish your goals. But let’s start at the beginning.

What is a splash page?

A splash page or splash screen is a special page that appears at the forefront of your website, displayed as an overlay or pop-up on top of your site. 

A splash page is usually deployed on the home screen to target users just landing on your website. However, they can also be included on other specific pages within your site.

The goal of the splash page is to draw attention to special news or elements related to your business or products.

For example, you can use a splash page to display a special time-sensitive offer. This would be the first thing users see when they land on your site. 

You could also use these pages for lead generation.

For example, if your business has just released a new report or study, you could use the splash page to promote the report and ask users to submit their email addresses to download it. 

However, splash pages are not just for marketing-related functions. Some brands also use them to ensure compliance with certain regulations. For example, it’s not uncommon to visit certain websites, and the first thing you see is a page asking for your age. This happens a lot in the e-cig industry, for example. 

The brands in this industry use splash pages to ensure only legally permitted folks land on their website. 

Next, let’s look at why you might want to create and deploy splash pages on your site.

Why create a splash page?

Splash pages are super useful for various reasons. But here are the top five reasons why most marketers use them.

Strong branding and promotion

Splash pages can be an effective way to showcase your brand values and story. 

For example, you can use this page to greet visitors and tell your brand story through an engaging video from your founder. 

And if you’re a non-profit organization or in a similar industry, you could use these pages to showcase your work. 

Similarly, for-profit brands can use splash pages to promote their biggest sales. A well-designed splash page would help capture your visitors’ attention and make sure they’re aware of ongoing promotions and discount codes.

Allows regional targeting

One of the most clever ways to use splash pages is to facilitate regional and even language targeting. This is a popular technique used by global brands. 

To ensure a pleasant user experience, brands like Shiseido ask site visitors to select their region and preferred language. 

The brands will then use the submitted information to deliver a tailored user experience. For example, eCommerce brands would use that information to show relevant currencies and appropriate shipping schedules. 

Some brands would also use that information to show a translated version of the website to match the user’s preferred language.  

Enhances the user experience

Splash pages enhance the user experience in many different ways. We just demonstrated how some brands are using these pages to identify the user’s region and use that information to display products in relevant currencies and languages.

These little details enhance the shopping experience by ensuring users do not have to start scratching their heads trying to convert currencies or understand the default language on your website. This can easily result in more conversions and sales for your brand. 

In fact, research shows that 76% of consumers prefer shopping for products in their native language. 

Legal compliance

Splash pages are one of the best ways to ensure legal compliance if you’re in a highly regulated industry.

Remember, splash pages can be the first thing users see when they land on your website. These pages can also overlay the entire web page, such that users cannot see the content behind them. As such, you can use it to verify that users meet the necessary legal requirements before they see and interact with anything on your website.

Check this out:

This store uses an age verification splash page and has disabled scrolling until users confirm their age. 

Effective messaging

Splash pages are the most effective way to pass across a critical message. This is especially true if you go for an overlay splash page that covers your website. Even a well-designed pop-up can get the job done. 

These pages capture every user’s attention, giving you a canvas to convey your message without any distractions.

You could use this to communicate important company news or changes, for example. 

Now, although splash pages can be super effective, we must point out that they also pose several dangers. The most important issue is that a poorly designed splash page could hurt the user’s experience. 

Users might not know how to cancel the page and access the content they’re interested in. The result? This can increase bounce rates and hurt your bottom line. 

Higher website bounce rates could also send negative signals to search engines like Google, which may affect your SEO and organic rankings. That means even less traffic for you. As you see, this can create a cascading effect where one issue results in more problems. We’ll show you how to avoid this by nailing your splash page design.

Splash page vs landing page?

Is a splash page and a landing page the same thing? No, it’s not. 

A typical splash page is an overlay or pop-up above your main homepage or another page on your site. On the other hand, a landing page is a standalone page on your website complete with a unique URL. 

Splash pages and landing pages also tend to have different goals. Most splash pages are used to communicate a specific message quickly, so they have very few elements. The content tends to be brief and focused.

Meanwhile, landing pages are created to support specific marketing campaigns. These pages can also be more detailed with fairly extensive content around the campaign goals. It could also have several CTAs throughout the page, depending on how long the landing page is. 

Tips to create a splash page

You now know why it’s really important that you get your website splash page design on point. The good news is that the best landing page builders that support splash page creation already follow the best practices.  

Still, you must follow these best practices when creating a custom splash page. 

1. Include eye-catching visuals + compelling CTA

A splash page will give your site visitors their first impression of your brand. You want this to be a good impression. 

Therefore, include high-quality visuals that align with the primary goal of the splash page. This is especially important for splash page use cases, like promoting your brand and sales. 

And you’re not just limited to still images. You can also add a video.

Make sure there’s a clear and compelling call to action alongside the visuals. Since splash pages tend to be small, you’ll be limited to only one CTA button. You must, therefore, make it count. 

Use action words related to the goal of the splash page. You also need to follow other CTA design best practices, like using contrasting colors to make sure it stands out. 

2. Add brief but value-packed content

The splash page content must be concise. Remember, users don’t expect to encounter a splash page. They’ve clicked a link that goes to a specific page. It’s the content on that page they’re interested in.

That means a splash page usually stands in their way. That’s why you don’t want it to be any more annoying than it needs to be. So, go straight to the point and mention the news or announcement the user needs to be aware of before they proceed to the page they’re actually interested in.

A few sentences (3-5 sentences) accompanied by a clear call to action and some engaging visuals should be enough. Something similar to what Shiseido did here. 

3. Optimize for mobile

You probably already know how vital it is to build mobile-friendly websites in 2025. However, we can’t emphasise enough just how crucial it is to have an equally mobile-friendly splash page. 

Keep in mind that these pages can cover an entire page. With the majority of internet traffic coming from mobile devices, you want to make sure that these users can navigate and cancel the splash page with ease. 

So, make sure the overlay window or pop-up you use is responsive and easy to navigate on mobile devices. Also, since you want the splash page to achieve its goals, make sure the size of your CTA button, input field, and images is perfectly visible and easy to interact with on mobile devices.   

4. Include a clear exit option

This is perhaps the most important thing you need to do when designing a splash page. Users should not be confused about how to exit the page. That means you need a clear exit option perfectly visible for everyone interacting with the page. 

Notice how visible the cancel button is on the top right corner (where users will expect to see the cancel option) of this pop-up splash page from Drake Waterfowl? 

A clear exit plan makes sure that site visitors do not fail to accomplish their primary goals because a splash page stands in their way. 

5. Conduct extensive testing before launch

Finally, test your splash page extensively before launching it. Make sure the page renders correctly, the CTA buttons are clear on all devices, the copy is okay, your images are perfectly sized, and the exit option is obvious to the users.

Your work doesn’t end after launch, either. Track the performance of your splash page. How many people are actually doing what the splash page asks for? Has the page impacted your website’s bounce rates? If you have a form field, how many people fill out and submit the form? 

Use these metrics to determine if the splash page is hitting its goal and whether it has affected the performance of your website. 

Inspiring splash page examples

Here are two inspiring examples of splash pages. 

Example 1: H&M 

H&M is a popular global retailer. When you visit their site, the first thing they do is display a splash page asking you about your region.

Let’s assume you’re visiting the store from France. If you select that region, you’ll receive a French version of the H&M website. This version is even translated into French.

Not only that, but the pricing is also converted into euros, and product details are covered in French.

This is an excellent example of how a brand could use splash pages to deliver tailored user experiences. It’s a great strategy for any brand with a global presence.    

Example 2: Gimme Some Oven

Gimme Some Oven uses its splash page for lead generation purposes. The pop-up is displayed almost immediately after landing on the page. The copy is also very simple. You get some quick dinner recipes delivered right to your inbox; just share your email address. 

Users can cancel the splash page by clicking the X exit link at the top right corner of the pop-up or by simply clicking anywhere outside the pop-up.

In closing

Splash pages have many different use cases, as you’ve seen above. You can use them for marketing purposes, like displaying discount codes and capturing email addresses. 

You can also use them to understand your customers better and deliver a customized user experience. 

In some industries, a splash page can help you ensure legal compliance through something like an age verification splash page that confirms a visitor’s age before they can access your site. 

Whatever way you decide to use them, make sure to follow the tips and best practices we’ve covered above to create an effective splash page that doesn’t take away from the user experience but adds to it.