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To Flash or Not to Flash.

When creating a website or updating your existing one, there are a number of factors to consider when deciding whether you should choose a website with Flash or stick with the traditional HTML design.

Flash is a type of website design that primarily focuses on motion to make a website come alive. Flash can include music, illustrations, animated user interactions such as button rollovers, cartoons, videos, and more. A full Flash website is a complete multi-media experience. So how do you choose to go Flash or not? Here’s a list to help you decide.

Going with Flash, The Cons

• Inoperable back button. The back button on your web browser is ineffective for navigation and when hit, instead of taking you to the previous page it will take you back to the intro or splash page. Some users may not like this as it leaves them less control with their browsing experience.

• Limited bookmarking capabilities. Only the intro page on a Flash website can be bookmarked, specific pages within the site cannot.

• Higher Cost. Although the higher price can easily be justified due to the specialized nature of the work, the client must decide whether the benefits of Flash are worth it.

• More time spent updating. Flash is more complicated and time consuming to update then an HTML file – some clients are comfortable doing HTML updates themselves, but the same can’t be said for Flash.

Going with Flash, It’s all in the way you set it up

• Longer loading times? Your Flash website may take a long time to load, however if your designer creates it properly, loading time will not be an issue.

• Poor search engine rankings? Search engine spiders cannot read the text or links within a Flash file and therefore cannot decipher any of the written material within the pages of your website. This could affect your rankings and traffic. However, the designer can place ‘tags’ on a Flash site that go a long way to help achieve rankings. Think of it as a Flash site with an html base.

Going with Flash, The Pros

• Unique experience. The combinations of movement, music, graphics, illustrations and user interactions are limitless and provide the user with a truly unique experience not found in any other site they’ve visited.

• Design freedom. Flash sites are not limited by static text, still images or linear layouts that are common in most HTML sites.

• Attention grabbing. Flash definitely provides the ‘WOW’ factor.

• Functionality. Flash can capture webcam video feeds and can be combined with other systems to provide video conferencing functionality.

• Privacy. People cannot view your source files so your intellectual property stays secure.

• Mix it up. If your budget doesn’t allow a fully Flash website, you can always go with an HTML site that incorporates elements of Flash. Flash can add richly interactive content to your Web page.

When evaluating the pros and cons of Flash, the most important element to consider is what is appropriate for your target audience and what you want to accomplish with your website. If your website is meant to entertain and you want to provide your users with a more visual experience, Flash is the way to go. If you want to keep people on your site longer than normal – and longer than on your competitors’ sites – Flash is the way to go. If any of your direct competitors have a Flash-based site… well, you get the picture.

If you’re having trouble deciding whether to use Flash, consult a qualified designer who can help you make that decision. Flash could very well mean the difference between an average website and a website that stands out from the crowd.

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