 |
Flash Design
Flash is a powerful tool that can be used to help businesses
produce an attractive web site with strong aesthetic appeal
and visual impact.
Before incorporating Flash into a web design, it's important
to take care that the finished product is not only attractive,
but will serve as a useful tool to both visitors and search
engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN.
Consider the following:
 |
What do visitors want?
Web visitors most often want the site to load quickly,
present valuable and relevant information, and have simple-to-use
navigation. Flash allows designers freedom to create attractive,
smooth-flowing animations, buttons, rollovers and banners.
However, lengthy animations have the potential to hinder
usability and cost a site its visitors. Furthermore, Flash
should only be used selectively to enhance a web site
rather than as the main attraction since visitors are
most likely coming to the site for content, rather than
for animation. |
|
Will using Flash be distracting?
Too many instances of movement on a page or movements
that are too fast can easily frustrate visitors and detract
from the message that is being conveyed. Subtle, smooth
animations provide a calming effect and afford the user
an overall better experience. |
|
Will using Flash help a site visitor
contact you?
Oftentimes Flash is used to draw the visitor's eye to
the navigation buttons, including call-to-action options
such as contact forms. While Flash can draw attention,
it's important that the buttons be clear, easy-to-read
and easy-to-find. Flash should never be used in such a
way that important buttons are sometimes hidden or unavailable.
They should be visible and clickable at all times. |
|
How will using Flash help with
your search engine optimization?
Although search engines like Google have some Flash indexing
capabilities, other search engines are still very limited.
Creating a site entirely in Flash could inhibit the site
from achieving desired rankings (and you from getting
desired leads). |
Overall, Flash is a very effective tool that can give sites
greater aesthetic appeal and a higher level of user interactivity.
However, it should only be used selectively to enhance a website
and not as the main attraction.
Pilot Fish's approach to flash design is to create page elements
that draw attention without interfering with the site's message
or its ability to perform on the search engines.
Click on the images below to view some samples of flash designs:
To
add SEO-friendly flash elements to your web site, contact Pilot
Fish or call
877-799-9994
ext. 2104
.
 |
|
