Business website designs: flash or basic?

I am deciding on a design for a website for a new transportation business I want to setup and was just wondering what the best sort of website is these days?

Are flash websites still any good or is a more basic/simple design better for a business website?

I have shortlisted some flash templates, but looking at websites for other businesses, I've noticed that they have gone for a very simple design, as opposed to a flashy, flash website.

Also, how easy are flash sites to add content to? I'm not a whizz when it comes to editing websites, however, if I want to add/change information on a particular page, is it easy? What software packages would best allow me to alter content in a flash website?

Any opinions are greatly appreciated.

Dont use flash, its not usually a good plan.

Although a non flash website does not mean a "basic" one.

Flash is excellent.... if you're making a little game or own a media company or your studio would like to have an interactive website for its latest film.

For everything else, skip flash.

I wouldnt use flash, but thats just my personal preference.

Ross1234 said:

Dont use flash, its not usually a good plan.

Click to expand...

For what reason though?

Ross1234 said:

Although a non flash website does not mean a "basic" one.

Click to expand...

Indeed. However, I have to say that flash websites are a lot more snazzy. The only thing I don't like are the ones that take ages to load.

So all who have replied have pretty much said "no" to flash. But why?

sunama said:

For what reason though?

Click to expand...

Flash isn't usually a good plan for most sites,whether they're commercial or not, because:

It makes sites harder to use - loss of traffic and revenue

It makes sites harder to maintain/update - increased cost of development

Search engines have trouble pulling information from them, leading to compromised rankings/search results - loss of traffic/revenue to similar, rival services

And almost certainly a few more that my brain can't cough up at the moment.


Ultimately, most internet users don't want snazzy, they want informative.

I was thinking something like this:

http://www.templatesfreelance.com/webtemplates/98-0.html

Although it is flash, it is still quite simple. Any good?

The search engine ranking would certainly be a deal breaker if a flash site ranks lower than a non-flash website.

The company selling the Flash template isn't using Flash for its own site. That should tell you something.

A browser's Print Preview will also enlighten.

As will an attempt to link to a specific page within the Flash from anywhere outside it.

So to answer your question more directly: no, not really.


Note that I'm referring to Flash-with-a-capital-F.

simisker said:

The company selling the Flash template isn't using Flash for its own site. That should tell you something.

Click to expand...

LOL.

Thats a nice observation.

In fact, to satisfy my curiosity, I've just searched for "flash website templates", and every site on the first page of results - all selling Flash-based templates, needless to say - doesn't use it to any meaningful degree.

Why? I'd say that it's because traditional methods of presenting information on the internet are more potent at getting them onto that first search results page.

simisker said:

As will an attempt to link to a specific page within the Flash from anywhere outside it.

Click to expand...

This is a big one as well. How often when you're Googling for something do you land on an inner page of a website instead of the index?

tbh i would go with silverlight

I think it depends on what your site is actually going to do.

If it's going to have a lot of animation, interactivity, streaming video etc. then Flash or Silverlight would be good choices for this. However, if the site isn't using either of the above then it defeats the object of the these technologies - they're not intended as replacements for HTML and CSS.

Also, I don't know what kind of accessibility issues are present when using Flash content, but you would need to make sure that such a site would work with screen readers, be accessible to users with visual impairment etc.

So, it would appear that it is virtually unanimous: Flash/animated websites shouldnt be used just for the sake of it.

I will go for a non-Flash website.

What swung it for me was the search engine ranking. As this is a company/business website, we just cannot afford to have poor search engine rankings, just for the sake of snazzy/animated graphics.

Thanks for your input.

You've also got to bare in mind that some users won't have Flash installed, and don't want to install it (or in the case of iPhones, cannot install Flash). Writing your content in Flash means you are effectively excluding these users from the site.

One thing though I think out the why you want your webpage to look on paper before starting code. It's surprising how many big companies fail to do this and have a backlash from people that just find that the website is horrible to view or dysfunctional.
A perfect example of this is the BE rebranding www.bethere.co.uk which is truly dreadful once you sign in

lokkers said:

You've also got to bare in mind that some users won't have Flash installed, and don't want to install it (or in the case of iPhones, cannot install Flash). Writing your content in Flash means you are effectively excluding these users from the site.

Click to expand...

this is why you shouldn't use flash for a business website.
Why limit users on phones that don't have flash

Axil said:

A perfect example of this is the BE rebranding www.bethere.co.uk which is truly dreadful once you sign in

Click to expand...

Oh god. This site is HORRIBLE now. (not that it was much better before)

The colour scheme makes my eyes bleed.

Flash is good for animated components, in-line videos, and snazzy banners.

It is crap for entire sites and content. Google et all cannot index the flash pages, people on iPhones and similar cannot (yet) browse flash sites, and flash is just, quite frankly, annoying. When I click on a link, I want to go to the page, not watch the tab/link/button flash, rotate, fade and jump around. Just take me to the page, dammit!

Another problem with flash is some corporations do not allow flash on their computers. My girlfriend works for the Govt. and she cannot use flash, on her work laptop, it just isn't installed.

IMO, Flash is to be used for small portions of your website which require "flashy" (excuse the pun) graphics to supplement other information.

The site surrounding said flashy content should be standard code.

Flash-only sites are mostly horrible to use, because in the vast majority of cases, very little thought has been put into the actual usability of the site, and most effort has been put into making it look flash (again, excuse the pun)