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 instancesas
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 workbut 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.