Many movie website owners believe a post slideshow at the top of their website snazzes up their site, makes their website look more professional and high-end yet what are these slideshows essentially: a reproduction, a linked duplication, and in most cases, a highlight reel of new content. Bravo. You have done it. You have created an advertising spot for your own content on your own website. Fantastic.
Three Reasons Against Them
1.) A post slideshow takes up advertising space at the top of the website. The top of your website is premium real estate and should be treated accordingly. As a website owner, you could sell that space to advertisers or advertise affiliate products and services there yourself. That it one of the first places people see when they come to your website. It could be the first place they click if handled correctly. Money is good, it keeps the lights on. By having a slideshow there, you may limit or negate both possibilities. Why give that up for something that is not generating you any capital for a few extra pageviews, pageviews you probably would have gotten anyway.
2.) A post slideshow is redundant. By scrolling down on your website, the viewer sees exactly the same information housed in the post slideshow.
Joblo.com’s Slideshow, highlighted in a blue rectangle
3.) A post slideshow is limited. Five or seven stories are the max highlighting capacity for the slideshow and most post slideshows are slow (John Chow’s and Chris Guthrie’s are two exceptions). Is someone really going to sit there as a slideshow ticks by for a full run instead of just scrolling down? Would you?
If you have to use them…
highlight and feature outstanding editorials on your website or great pieces of original and unique content. If you have to use a post slideshow, proceed as SlashFilm and FirstShowing have. SlashFilm and FirstShowing use post slideshows but very small ones, they are aligned at the top right of their pages, and they are not always filled with the newest content from their homepage. All their header space is left open for ads and site navigation.
FirstShowing.net’s Slideshow, highlighted in a blue rectangle
In Conclusion
Be kind to your site design, your website’s bank account, potential advertisers, and your site visitors: Don’t recycle your website’s main index, front page content with a post slideshow.
Do you use or have you considered using a post slideshow on your website?
