Flash Website Design

Pro's and Cons of a Flash Website

Flash is a very powerful web technology that provides a high level of impact. The majority of computers and browsers can handle flash animations easily now. It is great when used correctly but is often misused by many web designers. Some of the benefits of flash are that there is an unlimited choice and control over layout, font styles and colours due to flash being vector based graphics that are not available in standard html style sites. Flash sites are visually appealing and can capture your audience easily. Certain disadvantages are that flash sites are basically an interactive movie. Because of this the search engines are not able to read the information within the animations and do not index the site very well. Flash sites tend to be a lot larger in size and hence load slower. For users with slow internet connections this can be a deterrent from visiting your site.

One option is to have two sites running under the one domain with a splash screen that gives the user the option of choosing the flash site or the alternate html site. This also allows the search engines to be able to index the content of your site and get your site well ranked.

You can however have the best of both worlds. The use of flash intros, headers, menus, banners and slideshows is becoming far more common nowadays. By using flash in the image areas and incorporating the text in the html areas the search engines are able to index the main content while the user still gets a visually appealing site.

Many of the sites we design are done this way so that the user gets a visually appealing site whilst you still get a site that will rank well in the search engines.

Ideal Uses of Flash

Flash banners and logos can be visually appealing yet make no difference in the search engine rankings. A flash intro or header can grab the audiences attention. To dress up a basic site and make it more appealing. Presentation of a slide show or catalogue of your products. Showing a 3D version of your product. You may have a product that you wish to present in the form of a demo. For interactive games. these are only some of the uses of where flash can be well applied.

Our Prices

Flash design is a more complex than standard HTML and PHP static or dynamic sites and prices are available after initial conversation. However to give you an idea, flash banners and logos are usually between £15-50 and a Full Blown Flash Site starts from £499.

The Verdict

The main cosideration in using flash is your target audience. Flash websites are commonly used by people in the entertainment industry where they can provide various features to keep their audience clicking through their site. Whereas if it is your intention to deliver information quickly and to a wider audience then a html site is the better choice.