News from the WWW
Has your site’s ranking on Google tanked in the last few weeks?
If so, you’re not alone. Find out why and what may possibly help:
All Flash and Little Substance?
Motion catches the eye -- it's our automatic physiological response.
Macromedia's Flash is a popular application that produces moving images
on Web pages. The effect
is considered cool and cutting-edge -- and sometimes the hope seems
to be that using it to create a site will make the company it represents
seem similarly cool and cutting-edge. But is it always a good solution?
Is it really suitable for your site? Following is a list of considerations
to help you decide.
PROS
- It is cool. Really. Done well, it can make a powerful impression. For examples of effective Flash use,
visit the sites for
Nike and
The Israel Museum.
- Flash is exceptional at demonstrating procedures and illuminating
principles. Although this isn’t a requirement for
most sites, it’s helpful in situations where you want to show
precisely how to step through a complicated set of instructions.
For example
if you
want to demonstrate how to use particular software, a brief Flash
movie can be worth thousands of words. (Hmmm…I wanted to
give you an example of this, so I went to the Macromedia site.
I remembered that they had exactly this sort of interactive
Flash-based lesson to advertise how to use their new program, Contribute.
Guess what? The Flash-based show has been replaced with the less
cool, but foolproof and universally accessible, static HTML and
images. Makes
you wonder….)
CONS
- Cost. Good Flash development is pricier than
HTML. Will your site really get a better return on investment if
it features
Flash? If
not, and if budget is a major consideration, it may not be
worthwhile.
- Search engine ranking. Good placement for your
keywords is highly dependent on having lots of keyword-rich text
on your pages.
Search engines cannot (yet) process the text in Flash pages.
- Download time. Flash pages have much larger file sizes than HTML
pages with the same amount of information. While this isn’t
a factor for visitors with broadband access, most people still
use slow
dial-up modems. Those faced with a lengthy wait will often simply
leave for a different site. They’ll never see your site
at all.
- Lack of user compliance. Flash is a plug-in, not
a built-in part of the browsers. Some users opt not to let it install,
and
will therefore never see your site.
ONE DESIGNER’S OPINION
Until the majority of Internet users have broadband access, I consider
an all-Flash interface more suitable for non-Internet uses, such
as kiosks, CDs, etc. However, if your budget can handle it, Flash
can make a nice addition to a site -- particularly on the home
page. But in order to avoid the problems noted above, instead of
doing
the whole page in Flash, embed the Flash element(s) in a regular
HTML page. This has several advantages:
- Visitors without Flash
will still be able to read your information
- Text can be processed
by search engines
- Perceived download time will be faster, since the
HTML sections can be read while the Flash is still loading
Does this mean that if you don’t use Flash your site will be
perceived as dull and old-fashioned? Not if it’s well-designed!
Many top-of-the-line sites use non-Flash interfaces. Some who hopped
on the Flash bandwagon later reverted to static sites, probably for
reasons similar to those in the “Cons” list above.
For visitors, “cool” often takes a backseat to useable.
Whatever technology you decide to include in your site, make sure it
helps your visitors; don’t let it impede their access to your
site.
Resources:
Do you have any questions about the design, maintenance or
promotion of Web sites? Contact
me and I'll try to answer them in upcoming articles.
Goodies
- I’ll admit it: I’m a Google fanatic. Despite its current glitches,
it’s the best search engine available, and its developers
never stop adding even more amazing features. Do take a minute
to download
the Google
Deskbar. (It’s a beta version, but I’ve been using
it without a hitch on English-enabled Windows 98 and XP.) It sits
in the bottom
of your Windows desktop awaiting your call. You can run searches
and do lots of other useful things without even firing up your browser.
Need a comprehensive dictionary? Try this: type in a word then press
Ctrl-D. Up pops an instant list with definitions and their sources.
It’s especially useful for discovering the meanings of those
mysterious online acronyms. KWIM ?
- Ever wondered how Google comes up with its ranking system? Google
tells all.
I hope you enjoyed this month’s newsletter! If you have any comments
or suggestions for future newsletter topics, please don’t hesitate
to send them.
Janis Joseph
janis@atartec.co.il
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