Say No To Flash!

Let’s do a time travel back about 10 years to the mid 2000’s…  Animated GIF graphics were old hat and people were looking for a way to liven-up their websites: The technology, Flash, seemed like such a great idea.

With Flash, a website could have all kinds of movement, with various elements flying in from one side and crossing over to the other.  Flash also produced very attractive websites.  It was entertaining and for some organizations, they considered it a “must have.”

Like many new and exciting “breakthroughs”, people didn’t realize the downfalls to building a website in Flash.  Even today, there are still companies that build websites in Flash.  So I want to shine a light on the downfalls of building a website in Flash.

1) Not viewable on all platforms:  One of the biggest problems with Flash is that it is not viewable on all platforms.  Flash sites do not work on Apple products because Apple does not support Flash.  Considering that Apple products generate more than half of all mobile web traffic, alienating those who use iPhone, iPads, and iPods is not a wise decision.

2) Search engines cannot read Flash:  The other primary reason not to have a website built in Flash is that Google, Yahoo, and other search engines cannot read Flash.  Although there are some companies that build in Flash that will also provide a HTML version of the site, this is by no means the standard.  This means that if you have a website built in Flash:

• Your website will not be able to rank well for competitive keywords unless you are willing to pay the search engines.
• People will not be able to find your organization easily when using the search engines.
• Traffic to your website will not increase through the search engines.
• You will struggle to get new visitors, students, customers, members, etc to your organization.

So what do you do now?  If you already have a website, ask your website provider if your website is built in Flash.  If you are looking at getting a new website, ask the company you are considering building the website if the websites they build are built in Flash.

We at OurChurch.Com want to make sure that our clients’ websites can be viewed by all and that they can be ranked well in the search engines.  Because of this, we do not build our sites in Flash.  You can read more about OurChurch.Com’s custom web design services by clicking here.  If you are interested in discussing how OurChurch.Com can help you, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Have you encountered issues in viewing websites built in Flash?  Is your website built in Flash?  Please answer these questions below or let us know what you think about Flash websites.

Mark Steinbrueck

President at OurChurch.Com

Mark has served as the President of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, leading the Custom Website and Sales departments with dedication and expertise.

Over the years, he has managed hundreds of custom website, graphic design, and marketing projects for churches, non-profits, businesses, and schools.

Beyond his professional work, Mark is deeply committed to serving his community. He coordinates and packs over 700 meals each week for children through One Community Now’s Pack A Sack for Kids program, volunteers in the Children’s Ministry at Generations Christian Church, and participates in a weekly Bible study.