Flash or No Flash: Is a Flash Website For Me?
There have been relatively few cases in which I have recommended
the building of an all-flash site to any clients or potential
clients. In general, it's just not a good idea, for several
reasons. First of all, search engines can't dig through the
content on your site if it is all contained in a Flash file, at
least not as easily. Second, there are still people out there
who do not have Flash available to them for one reason or
another, and they would not be able to view your site at all.
Finally, there's the download time involved. For those who are
still on dial up connections, a Flash site is a nightmare.
Of course, many of these problems are solved by making two
versions of your site. If you make sure you have an option to
switch to the Flash version on every page, the search engine
issue no longer exists. Those that do not have Flash can simply
select the non-Flash version when they first come to your site.
Those with dial-up connections can do the same.
The downside, of course, is that you have two sites. When first
designing the site, you have to decide how similar to the Flash
site you want the non-Flash site to look. It's possible to get
them looking close to the same, but then you may be sacrificing
those who are on dial up connections. In addition to the design
work, there's the duplication of content. Not only do you have
to make sure you have the same information on both sites
initially, but any changes have to be replicated on both the
Flash and non-Flash site.
Taking all that into consideration, there are some cases in
which a Flash site is expected and appropriate. If your target
audience is those who are likely to have high-speed internet
access, for example. If presentation is much more important than
accessibility, which is occasionally the case, a Flash website
would be okay.
Some specific examples in which I personally feel that a Flash
website might (but may not always be) appropriate include sites
about comic books, contemporary artists, video games, movies,
television shows, actors and actresses, bands and, of course,
actual Flash animation or Flash games. Sites in which I
personally feel that Flash is almost never necessary include
business to business sites, ecommerce sites, news sites and any
sites with vast amounts of information.
So is a Flash site right for you? Chances are you'd be better
off not having one, but you may be one of those rare exceptions.