Ok,I’m not talking about those small burgers or sandwiches you can buy, I’m referring to the banner sliders you see on almost every website you visit. Banners on websites are a good thing. However, when it comes to banner rotations or sliders, how many is too much?
I am often asked to implement some kind of banner rotation when I’m doing web design, and the first question I ask is why they need one? I mostly find the answer is to try and put as much information as possible in a small space, but the reality is many of your visitors won't even look past the first or second one. Meaning that the rest are basically useless.
Banner rotations are useful, don't get me wrong, they can grab the visitor's attention; show specials on an online store; and they can showcase a range of products or services. But how many should you have on your site? Before I answer that, I believe there are a couple of questions you need to consider first.
- Do I really need a banner rotation?
This may seem like a strange question but in the world of web design today, it is vital to consider if the banner rotation is needed or is it simply following what your competitor is doing. - Is there another way to showcase the same information?
There are many ways to present your information on your website. With modern browsers and HTML5 and CSS3 support growing there are many new and innovative ways to present your content without the need for a banner or a slider. It could even make you stand out from the crowd by doing things a different way.
So back to my original question, how many banners in a rotation should I have on my site? A nice general rule to follow if you decide you still need to use a banner/slider is to limit them to about three slides per rotation and only have one or two banner rotations on your site.
It is always a good idea to consider if you actually need the banner rotation and if there are better ways to present what you are trying to convey to your visitors.
