FLASH WEBSITE DESIGN
Whether you’re looking to create a brand new website from the ground up, or you want to give your existing site a much-needed overhaul, chances are you’ve heard of Adobe flash website design (previously, Macromedia Flash). The question is: Would flash website design company apply to your target audience and make the perfect addition to your homepage?
As with anything, there are pros and cons to flash website design and it all depends upon several personal factors, including: what type of people you want to attract to your site, what you want people to get out of visiting your site, and what you’re promoting with your site.
The main message that flash website design sends to your visitors is essentially, “Hey! Look at me! I’m artistic, I’m active, I’m fun, and I aim to please!” If you’re presenting a product for kids, then Flash is the way to go. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you’re presenting advanced technology – a car, a cell phone, a computer game – you will also want a flash website design. If you’ve been to a movie, TV or music site this year, chances are you’ve seen Flash. Design and art sites use Flash often, to show customers what they can do.
If you have an existing site that needs revamping, a flash website design can certainly improve a bare bones site. A Flash banner or a small Flash animation can quickly enhance the look of your site, without sucking up too much bandwidth or lagging your site at all. Basically, if you’re looking to impress visitors with an astounding visual presentation, Flash is the most dynamic choice.
However, there are also a few downsides. You may have heard that a flash website design often lags, downloads slow and requires visitors to have certain plug-ins or web browsers to view the site properly. (However, a recent study found that 98% of Internet users have the Flash Player installed). For users on dial-up modems, a Flash site is usually not even worth their time because they’ll need to sit and wait for long periods of time just for the page to load, never guaranteeing access to the information they need. While the developers are working quickly to improve the inherent usability problems, you may find a regular website to be much easier, especially if you’re not into the idea of having to update your graphics every couple of months to keep the design fresh, innovative and appealing.
Another trouble with flash website design is that it limits your visibility on the Internet. Flash sites generally do not rank well in search engine results because the spiders are usually looking for simple and quick-to-navigate pages. Google and other large engines have the ability to index Flash sites too, but high rankings with a flash website design are difficult, without paying extra. A quick answer to this would be to create an optional HTML version of the site for the impatient visitor or those with dial-up. Of course, this will be an extra investment, but you will be getting the best of both worlds, so to speak.
If you go to the websites of Rolex or Nike, you’ll be impressed by dazzling animations, moving graphics and a seamless interface with their advanced flash website design; whereas, if you visit the PGA Championship, Newsvine or A List Apart websites, you’ll see a static HTML page. It usually doesn’t cost a whole lot more to get a flash website design in the short run, but in the long run (with updates) it may cost more. The best way to decide is to weigh all the factors, judge what you feel looks good and come to a responsible decision. |
