Bad Frames

I cannot think of a single instance where the use of frames enhances the user experience on a website, or in which it would make the use or function of the site more efficient.

Frames are usually used for the convenience of the web designer - when they do not wish to have to update links across an entire site, or when they want to show off that they can do it. Sometimes they are used in an attempt to conceal web code from the site user. They do not enhance the user experience in any way.

Frames also interfere with efficient indexing by search engines. This is especially key to shoestring startups, who need all the free traffic they can get! Putting your site into frames only creates another obstacle you will have to overcome in your marketing.

Some site designers make the mistake of making all links open into frames within the site - including off-site links. While this does keep your site visible, it also annoys the visitor when they want to get OUT of your site, or when they want to just see the other site without your frames around it.

Frames are rarely used by professional web designers. When they are used, it is only with a compelling reason for doing so.

They were sort of a fad about 5 years ago. The latest thing that someone could do, so everyone wanted to prove they could do it too. They allowed designers to produce a modular site design, where you could put site-wide elements into a section that you could update globally by just changing one file. A nifty idea, but one that caused problems in other areas.

The glow quickly wore off, as frames were found to be inconvenient, and since they introduced unnecessary complications. Most importantly, the search engines failed to index framed sites accurately, and a huge amount of SEO benefit was lost when using frames.

Today, EVERY HTML editing program has the capacity to produce sites with frames very simply. So simply that new site designers see it and just have to try it. There seems to be a compulsion in some new designers to make things as complex as possible, as though by doing so they can impress everyone by showing off their skills. Trust me, using frames is NOT the way to do it!

When you use frames in a site that could just as easily be designed using a simple template, no one is impressed by your prowess. It will make you look unskilled, rather than skilled. Even plain, unpretentious HTML pages with no frills look more professional.

Most HTML editors now have a way to handle global navigation, or to use "shared content blocks" or "global content blocks" so you can do rapid site-wide updates of key elements. There is no reason to use frames when you could spend the time setting up the time saving features that a program offers that will give you just as much design assistance.

If you want a modular site design that requires less updating, then take the time to learn to use a PHP based Content Management System. It will serve you better, be more flexible, and even be more search engine friendly in most cases.

Frames are another application of the rule for always choosing the simplest manner of creating a site. Use the least complex option to get the job done predictably and functionally.

Written by Laura Wheeler