The conversations rage on about whether Flash technology works or not on web sites. The facts about web sites tell a different story. I would not say that I have built thousands of web sites but I will say that I have used thousands of sites – good, bad and indifferent. I have also built simple sites with straight forward aims and objectives. Every site that I have upgraded or re-designed has to some extent used Flash. The difference in the performance of these old sites has been the lack of new content, the use of Flash at the entrance point which has delayed the ability of visitors to get in and find what they need.
Add to this the fact that visitors now have an extremely limited attention span and I can see why there is such a reaction to not using Flash technology. There is of course the other issue which is about Adobe and its ability to extract revenue from anybody who uses Flash. With no real other competitors in their space it means they can rake in the bucks without any competition at all.
The HTML 5 technology that is being tested will in all likelihood radically change the market because it will be available pretty much free of charge. This makes Adobe and Flash potentially redundant that is why Adobe is rushing to ensure Flash is used in technology now so that they can lock in customers sooner. HTML 5 will not be out for quite some time so for now we are stuck with Flash.
For the web site owner my advice to you is to use Flash away from front pages and only if you need to host video, games or have a client who needs a cool, trendy design. But remember, the more Flash plugins you use means more bandwidth, more disk space and more cost added to your web host packages. Good news for web host companies bad news for your profitability and business.
There are a ton of statistics that demonstrate the issues Flash causes to your site, including slow loading times, heavy bandwidth, higher web host costs, customer irritation and confusion, Google issues with Flash, poor customer experience, higher technology costs, the list goes on… so you have been warned.
Remember the 4 F’s for your web site whether you use them or build them: Fast to load, Frequently updated, Fresh and Friendly to use.
Till next we meet …
Happy browsing and happy hunting
John Norton
John has helped businesses and organisations worldwide generate over 130 million euros in new business. John works and lives in Europe.
