Flash Websites: Bad for Business?

There are tons of choices out there when deciding over what type of website to have and what features to have included. What type of content should I include? Do I need a blog? Should I have a content management system so that I can make changes myself? One of the biggest decisions out there is choosing between a traditional HTML/CSS-based website or a full Flash-based website.

Let me start by saying that Adobe Flash, when used correctly, is a very powerful and useful tool. However, if you are considering going with a full Flash-based website I think you should take some time to reconsider. Flash was originally created as a multimedia component to be used on the web for videos, music, photos, and other rich content. While it can be used to create some very "flashy" websites there are many key components a Flash-based website lacks that are important to the success of your website.

The biggest and most important thing that Flash-based websites lack is the ability to have the website correctly indexed by all the major search engines. Non-Web Geek Translation: It hurts your website's ability to be found on search engines! I've always told all my friends, family, clients, pets, and anyone who will listen that you can have the coolest, best looking website out there but if no one can find it then what's the point?

Other missing links in a Flash-based website:

• Visitors must have a Flash player installed on their computer/browser. While the majority of people will have one installed there are still those out there that don't. If those potential clients come to your website and see that they need to download a Flash player you are risking them moving along to another website that doesn't require them to do this.
• Flash doesn't work on most mobile devices (Blackberrys, PDAs, iPhone/iTouch, and so on).
• Frequently updating content. Flash content tends to be created once and then left alone.
• Load Times. Flash-based websites can tend to take much longer to fully load than a normal HTML-CSS website. Especially for visitors who don't have access to a high speed connection. Many times the Flash will become unresponsive and look "slow" and/or "jumpy".

The Verdict: I'm not saying not to use Flash, you just need to use Flash sparingly as a multimedia tool to enhance your website and web content. Flash should not be used to build an entire website, that is what HTML and CSS were designed for, and that is what search engines and users are expecting. Only use Flash to build your website if you don't care about driving visitors to it.

Resources:
Moongrabber.com   Business Web Basics.com   Bruce Clay, Inc

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