Cool flash websites - Impress or Convert?
Most people who have worked with us know that we’re not a big fan of “cool flash websites” for businesses.
Well, we don’t apply this rule to everyone. There are some professions where being cool really is everything. For instance, you’re probably too cool for school (i.e. you need a cool flash website) if you’re a:
- Rock band or popular musician
- Fashion designer or fashion photographer
- Company that has a brand the size of, say, Coke or McDonald’s.
Here’s a couple of flash website examples that are just so cool:
- Angus and Julia Stone - http://www.angusandjuliastone.com - Brilliant illustration, simple execution, really impressive.
- Freedom Furniture’s Online Catalogue - http://www.freedom.com.au/catalogue/spring07/index.html - A very easy to use catalogue metaphor.
Now, before that you make the mistake of thinking that this is what you need for your company, consider these questions:
- What do I really want from my website visitors?
- What actions do I want them to take by visiting my website?
- Will impressing them with design and coolness really influence them to do business with me?
Websites like the examples above exist purely to impress. If you are looking for an outcome like an online purchase or a lead generated from your website, then a cool flash website is probably not for you. Why?
Well, in flash lots of things just don’t work like you would expect in a normal website (such as text boxes, navigation, right click, back/forward buttons, etc). When something doesn’t work like you expect it to, it breaks your intent. You end up thinking more about the website than what you were there for in the first place.
Being too slick will probably do more faours for your designer than it does for you. You don’t want your website visitors to be distracted from doing business with you by the coolness of your website.
From the author: If you regularly advertise for leads in the Yellow Pages®, in the newspaper or on the radio, then there’s a good chance that your website could be generating more leads for you than it is. The key is in your website’s conversion rates.
Yellow Pages® is an Australian registered trade mark of Telstra Corporation Ltd. This company has requested and has been granted permission from Telstra Corporation Ltd to use the Yellow Pages® trade mark. This company is not otherwise associated with Telstra Corporation or any of it’s subsidiaries.
