Articles
[18/12/2009] Should I get a flash website or just plain HTML website?
You have decided to create a website to represent your company in the online world. You are armed with all the information that needs to be presented on the website, about your company, the services and products offered along with their pictures and to facilitate an online shopping experience, you have also incorporate a shopping cart. So far so good. But have you decided on how your website is going to look, or simply put, the look and feel of your website. The presentation of your website is as important as the information put up, since it leaves a lasting impression in the minds of the visitors and either attracts them wanting to come back again and again, or turns them off. Does your website figure prominently when searched for? How to use add-ons? All these are points to keep in mind before making a decision on creating a website.You could have your website designed by a web design-London company or a company based in New York; your website will look the same. What changes the look is the structure that your website creator has used. The structures are Flash or HTML. It is important to understand the significance of each to make an informed decision. This way the website will be in accordance with what your company wishes it to be.
Flash
Flash is software that is used to build many a website. Remember having been excited by the latest Harry Potter movie and wanting to find out or watch it online? You went to the website and there were loads of animations, special effects that came alive on the screen. That was the power of Flash. Ever played solitaire or any other game online? Did you watch those tiny little jumps made by the cards, the fire that erupted from the dragon’s mouth, the colorful movements and been fascinated? Thanks to Flash, all these and more are possible today. It is flexible yet complex. But an easy interface allows individuals to use it. The disadvantage of using Flash is that the search engines cannot recognize anything created in Flash. All they do is that they treat anything created in Flash as an image even though there are layers of text inside. Since all the navigation is created in Flash, a search engine fails in mapping the pages. Hence they do not get positioned well in any search. Even with the introduction of text in the background, the problem is not completely resolved. If you desire to add individual graphics or analytical reporting, it becomes difficult to do so.
HTML
It is the most popular way of building a website. Not only can a page designed in HTML be seen on any browser, it can be easily picked by any search engine. Hence retrieval of these websites is a piece of cake. You can easily introduce add-ons by cutting or pasting them onto your website. They are not heavy to load. The only drawback is that it is not possible to create complex graphics and your website remains dull and static.
Now the choice is easily based on the requirements for your website. If effects, drama and a little magic is required, go for Flash, if not choose HTML. However there are some website builders that combine the beauty and the performance of both Flash and HTML.
