There is a flash animation intro page for this site. However, you will only see it if you know that it is there and specifically 'ask' to see it. If you would like to see our intro page click here and you should see the intro pop up in a separate window and then our home page load right after that.
We did not force you to look at our animation for a reason. And the reason is that it does not matter if you see it. And, you probably have better things do than stare at you computer screen watching our movie. If you are here, we hope that it is because you are considering us as the company to design your web site.
Just about any web designer can put together a Flash animation for you. But not every web designer will tell you that you should not put one on your site. That is to say that not every site will benefit from 'flashy' extras. And in many cases, the additional time for the pages to load will chase away the customers that you are trying to win.
Graphics and animation should only be used it it will truly enhance your site. If we believe that they will not, then we will encourage you to have a site with only enough to keep your visitors interested until what you have to say or sell gets their attention. Of course, if you specifically request that we include extra graphics, we will.
After all, you are the customer.
We only ask that you take into consideration the increase in the time that it will take for your visitors to actually see your site - and if it loads slowly enough they might never see it at all!
Our philosophy is that even on a broadband connection, an excess of graphics will not get you more clients. They may be impressed by what they see, but if they are not impressed by what you are offering them then they will not buy from you.
Studies have been done to determine how long a web user will wait for a page to load before they will leave. And what they determined is that about one third of users will only look at your blank page for about eight seconds before they become frustrated and leave. EIGHT SECONDS!!
So, it is imperative that at least your entry pages (your home page and any other page that acts an entry point to your site from a search engine) load in those eight seconds. Once you have your visitor convinced that you have something to offer them, your pages can become larger and load slower. As long as you have really convinced them that you have something to offer. But my advice would be - Don't try their patience, you will be the only one to lose!
There are other factors to take into consideration besides the increase in time that it will take for visitors to see your site.
All of this is not to say that graphics are bad. It is just a reminder that even good things need to be used in moderation.
We will help you strike a balance between having a site that is visually impressive and one that is actually useful. Because it is no good to have a web site that is stunning - if no one is willing to wait to see it.
Now that the pages are balanced between information and graphics, how do I make sure that visitors are able to navigate my site?
For more information, please call us at (708) 447-0296 or email us.