Flash is a software, created by Macromedia, that allows web designers and other artists to create short "movies" such as animated logos, web page navigation (buttons and menus) and what Macromedia calls "high-impact Web experiences."
But flash must be used with care. Some graphics require quite some time to load.
Jakob Nielsen, a "guru of web usability" writes:
"About 99% of the time... the use of Flash lowers [a site's] usability.
"It has been known since around 1968, that system response needs to happen within about 10 seconds to keep the user's attention. On the web, current users have been trained to endure so much suffering that it may be acceptable to increase the limit value to 15 seconds. (!)
"... jumping to a new page ... should happen within a second. When response times surpass a second, users start changing their behavior to more restricted use ... (for example, they won't try out as many options or go to as many pages).
Flash can be used to create cool menus and other navigation devices, but remember that your visitors may not be willing to wait for them to download before heading over to a competitors' site.
Jill Whelan, the search engine optimization expert writes, "Over and over again we hear from companies that want high rankings and lots of traffic and sales, yet refuse to forfeit their LUGs (large useless graphics) and Flash animation in favor of good content.
Unfortunately, these pages don't give the search engines much to go by when trying to determine what the site is all about. This forces the engines to figure things out solely based on the Title tags and the links. That may be enough in some cases, but the best indicator of what a site is about is through the content on its pages.
Now, it's true that some search engines have started reading the content of Flash files, but there's generally not much "meat" contained in the ones I've seen! Never forget that the ultimate goal of most business Web sites is to sell a product or a service. When you see a Flash presentation on a site, does that make you want to purchase their products or use their services? Sure, it might appear cool the first time you view it, but thereafter it only serves as an annoying distraction and/or waste of time. And if you're on a dial-up modem (yes there are still some left!), you probably don't want to wait around to view it. Besides, you can have your cake and eat it too by simply using small amounts of Flash in appropriate places, along with your great content.
When all is said and done, most people would rather be presented with information on the types of products or services offered in clear, concise language, right on the main page of the site they're visiting. Luckily for us, that's exactly what the search engines want to see as well."
If you still have your heart set on Flash, Lombard and Thomas will happily oblige (after all, it's fun!)
For more information, contact Ilana Green at Lombard and Thomas by calling 708.655.0042 or e-mail us at lombardandthomas@gmail.com
