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Scary Slider Stats And Why They're Killing Your Site Traffic

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Sliders are like the Nickelback of website layouts. Everyone on the internet hates them, but they keep weaseling their way back into your life. You can change the station, but you’ve heard them already. The same goes for sliders. By the time you end up on a site with one, it’s too late. Let’s discuss some scary slider stats and why they’re killing your site traffic, shall we?

Scary Slider Stats And Why They're Killing Your Site Traffic

They Don’t Convert

I could stop writing right here, because this alone is reason enough to NEVER USE A SLIDER. But I have a word limit to reach, and you deserve more. Sliders bring with them a barrage of problems: SEO issues (a muddle of h1 tags), usability complications, and the majority of the time just getting flat out ignored.

SEE ALSO: [Infographic] Eight Jaw Dropping Inbound Marketing Statistics

A study found that 1% of users clicked a slider feature, 89% of that 1% being the first slide. Once that rotated out, it was a lost cause. And with time, users have become more desensitized and accustomed to ignoring sliders all together. Becuase...

They’re Annoying

And I’m not just talking your neighbor’s dog that barks every time someone passes by the house annoying, I’m talking you won’t get business from that visitor annoying. While this seems objective, it’s pretty unanimous across the board when talking to anyone with basic understanding of web traffic.

Scary Slider Stats And Why They're Killing Your Site Traffic

The attention of your visitor is going to be drawn to the striking image and bold wording, and on the chance they like what they see, it’s whisked away before they can click on anything or comprehend what they read.

Nielsen Norman Group found that of users' first three eye-fixations on a page, only 22% were on graphics; 78% were on text. So, with the less than 25% chance that a user looks at your slider image, there’s a 100% chance it will disappear from their sight.

Website Sliders Are Bad And You Should Feel Bad For Using Them

So if sliders are so obviously terrible, why do people keep using them? For starters, they’re familiar, and there’s a ton of themes and templates out there enticing the uninformed. If you have a client who’s not well-versed with UI that actually makes people happy, there’s a chance they’ll request a slider. Because Nickelback.

“Look at this photograph…”

More importantly, look at this copy. If you’re put in a position where a client is sticking to their slider request (despite showing them this post), make sure the site text is on point. Often times the simpler the message, the better. Hopefully, with time, the slider site layout will gradually disappear. But it’s up to us to fight the good fight. Say no to sliders.

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