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By: Stefene Russell, Mon Jun 26th, 2006
Because I look at the world through frames (my glasses, that is) they've never bothered me that much on the web. They don't make me jump up and down for joy, mind you, but I've managed to cultivate enough patience to deal with them in most instances--as long as I'm not staring at twelve or fourteen panes on my screen.
There are those who say that frames are death to a site, and those who really like them; I guess most of us fall between those two extremes. In any case, I had quite a few people send me URLs for framed sites this week, so it seemed to be ripe for discussion. If your site uses frames, or you're thinking of using them, here are the pros and cons:
PROS:
--If you want to present a large chunk of copy and still keep your sidebar navigation in the user's sight, frames will solve this problem for you.
--You can keep other important scraps of information visible…things like a link to your order form, and your logo.
--It can be a good workaround for certain sites with large amounts of eclectic information to present.
CONS:
--Yikes! They confuse the spiders. Though real spiders love real windowpanes, web spiders get very confused when confronted with frames. They just can't find the pages, because everything is fractured up into separate windows. If you have an e-commerce site, you might want to think twice about frames, because you'll lose customers who are searching for your product online.
--Frames often annoy many users. They're just kinda confusing. And when users get annoyed, you know what they do? Yep, that's right. They go somewhere else.
--They don't show up correctly in many browsers, thus shrinking your audience even further.
--Your users will have a tough time book-marking pages within your site (like the order page f'rinstance. Ahem).
As you can see, there are more than a few things to think about here. The answer, if you're really stuck on using frames, is to create a splash page that allows your users to choose frames or no frames. Of course, this means more work--but in the long run, giving your users this option is probably worth it.
About the author: WHAT MAKES USERS CLICK? Expert Stefene Russell will do a complete analysis of your site, including personalized tips on copy and design at http://fixmywebsite.com/analysis.htm Whether you're an e-business or a content provider, find ut how to make your site professional and effective. Read Stefene's free web site tips at http://FixMyWebsite.com Reach her at stefene@drnunley.com or 801-328-9006.