Advantages of Flash Websites
The most important advantage of having a Flash website is the fact that all your visitors can experience the same rich visual and audio experience. As you are probably aware, standard websites coded in (X)HTML and CSS will look slightly different from one browser to the next. While professional web designers will always try to minimize these discrepancies, some are unavoidable.
Adobe Flash allows designers to use all sorts of typefaces that are not normally available online. As well, possible visitor interactions with a Flash website are almost limitless. This is what makes Flash websites so appealing to many people.
So why wouldn't everyone have a Flash website?
Disadvantages of Flash Websites
While Adobe offers a free Flash media player that is supported by most browsers, Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users cannot run Flash on their devices and therefore cannot view Flash websites.
With such devices increasing in popularity worldwide and no indication by Apple or Adobe that such support will ever be provided, it's a significant point to consider.
Another disadvantage is related to how most Flash animations are created. While users have the impression of viewing "different pages" on Flash websites, the URL address often doesn't change. These websites therefore can't benefit from the same Search Engine Optimization (each page of non-Flash websites are normally optimized for separate keywords). This often results in lower Search Engine rankings and traffic for your entire website.
Choosing a Flash Website Design
Fortunately, there are ways around these disadvantages. For example, you could limit your Flash usage by using it sparsely in some non-essential areas of your site.
You could also offer two versions of your site: one made in Flash with all the bells and whistles, and one made with (X)HTML, CSS and JavaScript that can still offer some interactivity without the lack of support on mobile devices.
If you want a Flash website or Flash banners for your site, contact our Flash designers to get a quote.
