Carousels are a popular way to showcase content in a sliding, rotating format. They allow you to feature multiple pieces of content or media in a condensed space. Carousels are commonly used on homepages and landing pages to highlight promotions, featured products, testimonials, or other important website content.
When designing a carousel, one key consideration is determining the ideal number of slides to include. You want enough slides to showcase your main messages without overwhelming visitors with too many options. But what is the maximum number of slides you should have in a carousel?
Benefits of Carousels
Before determining the maximum slides for your carousel, it’s helpful to review the benefits this web design element provides:
- Showcase more content in a small space
- Add visual interest to a page
- Draw attention to key information
- Allow users to digest content easily through rotating slides
- Engage visitors with different types of media like images, videos, or text
- Create a simple way to navigate between different content sections
When used effectively, carousels can be an impactful design element on a website. The sliding motions and condensed format help grab user attention right away.
Downsides of Too Many Slides
However, there are also downsides to having too many carousel slides. Some potential issues include:
- Overwhelming users with excessive information
- Making it harder for visitors to absorb the content
- Increasing the page load time
- Creating a longer rotation between slides that users want to see
- Diluting the impact of each individual slide
- Looking cluttered or crowded on smaller screens
Too many carousel slides start diminishing the benefits of this design feature. Each additional slide should serve a clear purpose on your page.
Expert Recommendations on Maximum Slides
Experts agree that carousels work best with a limited number of slides. Here are some common recommendations on the ideal carousel length:
- 3-5 slides – This range allows you to feature your most important content without overwhelming visitors. According to research from HubSpot, engagement starts dropping off after the first 5 slides.
- 6-8 slides maximum – If you have extensive content to share, limit your carousel to 8 slides at the very most. Any more than that risks decreasing engagement.
- One tip is the “rule of three” – Grouping content in sets of three or five slides may provide a visually pleasing layout.
- Be brief – Each slide should make one main point. Use succinct text and eye-catching visuals.
- Avoid single slide carousels – Having only one slide defeats the purpose of a carousel. Use a different design element if you don’t have at least three slides.
Of course, the ideal carousel length depends on the goals and content of your specific website. But in most cases, limiting yourself to 5 or fewer slides is recommended.
Ideal Carousel Content
In addition to limiting the number of slides, it’s also key to choose the right type of content to feature in your carousel:
- Promotional offers or discounts
- New arrivals and featured products
- Testimonials and customer reviews
- Impactful statistics and company achievements
- Upcoming events or deadlines
- Striking imagery representing your brand
- Videos introducing your company or demonstrating products
- Links to important website pages like “Shop Now” or “Learn More”
Each slide should serve a strategic purpose, whether that’s promoting a sale, showcasing products, or highlighting customer satisfaction.
Formatting Best Practices
In addition to the number of slides, optimize your carousel with these formatting best practices:
- Ensure all slides are the same size and aspect ratio for a cohesive look.
- Use brief text – 4 lines or less per slide.
- Include eye-catching headlines on every slide.
- Use high-quality, consistent images and graphics.
- Set an appropriate slide transition speed – not too fast or too slow.
- Place navigation controls in an easy-to-find spot like below the carousel.
- Test the carousel functionality on mobile devices.
- Allow users to manually control sliding if desired.
- Highlight your current slide so visitors know where they are.
With strategic content and optimized formatting, you can make the most of your carousel even with a limited number of slides.
Slideshow Design Alternatives
If you have extensive content to share on your website, a carousel with numerous slides may not be the best format. Here are some alternatives to consider:
- Tabbed content sections – Split up content into organized tabs users click through.
- Scrollable content – Present all content on one long scrolling page.
- Separate content pages – Link to dedicated pages for different content categories from your menu.
- Expandable content – Start with summaries and enable users to click to expand the full content.
- Multi-column layout – Display content side-by-side rather than in a single column.
These alternatives help break up long content while still keeping it easy to access on your site. Test different formats to determine what engages your audience best.
Key Takeaways
To summarize, here are the key tips on maximizing carousel effectiveness:
- Limit your carousel to 3-5 slides in most cases.
- Use 6-8 slides as the absolute maximum.
- Choose strategic, impactful content for each slide.
- Keep slide content brief and scannable.
- Carefully design slides for a cohesive look.
- Test carousel functionality across devices.
- Consider alternative formats if you have extensive content.
Conclusion
While carousels provide useful web design benefits, it’s important not to go overboard with too many slides. Follow the recommendations to create a focused carousel that effectively engages your website visitors without overwhelming them. The sweet spot for most websites is a clear and impactful carousel with 3-5 quick-hitting slides.