posted by Mark

Just a few years ago, websites with Flash introductions were the latest-and-greatest thing, and for good reason: they just looked so cutting-edge. If visitors couldn’t figure out how cool your company was from the flowing animation and sound… well, that was between them and Internet Explorer 4.

Recently though, having a Flash intro has become the web equivalent of sporting a Britney Spears world tour tee shirt: a little bit annoying, and a sign that you’re not really keeping up with what’s going on in the world. Here are a few reasons to ditch your site’s animated and outdated opening:

It’s no longer impressive. Flash isn’t a new thing, so it’s not going to impress your clients or colleagues. There was a time when people genuinely thought they were cool, but now they’re just in the way of the information they’re trying to find.

It’s annoying. How many people do you know who actually watch these things, much less leave the sound on? The answer you’re looking for is zero. No one has enough time in the day to finish the things they actually need to accomplish, so don’t think they’re going to waste it watching your opening shots.

It’s bad for usability. Flash intros are almost unique amongst web features for the way it’s completely cosmetic. It doesn’t help anyone find, do, or buy anything. That isn’t to say there aren’t great places to use Flash on your site – because there definitely are – but a 15 second opening isn’t helping your visitors.

It’s costing you money. Beyond eating small amounts of bandwidth and bigger chunks of your customers’ patience, Flash intros cost you money because they can reduce the amount of time your visitors are willing to spend on your site. By hiding your content behind a screen of video and sound, they make it harder for the people who are searching for your product or service to find you… and that’s never good for the bottom line.

Flash intros were a cool idea once, but that time has come and gone. If you’re serious about building a business website, ditch the annoying openings and introduce your visitors to a quality home page.