There is no question that making a great first impression on your website (and elsewhere in life) is paramount. Everyone wants customers to be impressed at the first glance of their website -- and slideshows have become the trendiest way to meet this goal.

Complicated slideshows in recent years have become customary for almost every website's home page. When customers outline their wish list for new website, the home page slideshow is most often at the top of their list.

"Check out my competitors' website," customers say. "They all have slideshows!"

Very few businesses are willing to completely forgo the home page slideshow unless it's replaced by an even more impressive greeting such as a video or animation.

However, what many businesses and designers forget to take into consideration is that the slideshow (when not done properly) can cause HUGE problems when the time comes for search engine optimization for Google.

Why is the slideshow such a tricky subject?

In recent years, Google has started using page speed as a factor to rank websites. Want to test your site's page speed? Try this tool: https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/

"Starting in July 2018, Google will finally use mobile page speed as a ranking in their mobile search results. Google today announced a new ranking algorithm designed for mobile search. ... Google recommends you use the new updated PageSpeed report and tools like LightHouse to measure page speed and make improvements." via SearchEngineLand

Google's page speed tests also offer diagnostics on what is slowing down your site. What's the biggest culprit for many home pages? That clunky slideshow that wasn't build right in your header likely might be slowing down your site's speed.

If you notice, many digital marketing agencies don't have slideshows on their own homepages. They prefer a sleek image instead. They know that the slideshow can negatively impact their rankings. And while most digital agencies have a tough time communicating that to their clients who are also set on the slideshow, those agencies prefer to sacrifice the slideshow in favor of faster page loading speeds and higher Google Rankings.

This is not to say that websites should not have a home page slideshow. This is to say that when you're building a website, it's vital to work with an agency that understands the bigger picture. Websites are not just about pretty photos and fitting in with trends. A website need to perform quickly to compete nowadays. 

Ready for a website consultation? Contact Cote Media today!