To Frame Or Not To Frame - Should Frames Be Used On Websites?

    Before getting into why we should or shouldn't use frames on a website, lets first evaluate why frames were created. Frames were created in a time when internet connection speeds were slow and you had to pay for each minute you were online. So by using frames, it was possible to separate portions of webpages that didn't need to be reloaded from page to page. This saved the amount of data downloaded, which in-turn decreased the amount of time spent online. But today in age, internet connections cost pennies and some companies will even give you free internet, so we are not worried about money or time spent online, so the main reason behind the creation of frames has vanished. This rest of the article will discuss the disadvantages of using frames and why web designers shouldn't use them.

1. Navigation - The main reason why individuals use frames, is to separate the navigational menu from the content of the website so that it (the navigational menu) is not repeatedly loaded when moving between the different pages of a website. Lets say that a person visited a search engine and entered in a query and one of the framed pages on a website is displayed. When the person clicks on the link, the framed page is displayed without the navigational menu frame page. This means that the person can't go anywhere else in the website and will be forced to leave the website. Though there is javascript code that can solve this problem, it will not solve the problem 100% as what will happen if a person doesn't have javascript enabled.

2. Search Engine - Another disadvantage of using frames occurs when your website is being indexed by search engines. A few search engines recognize frames and will follow the frame links to the other pages of your website, but there are some search engines that don't recognize frames and that means that they will only index the frame page. For the search engines that do recognize frame pages, many webmasters don't place the required importance to the frame page and many entries in search engines have bad titles and descriptions because of this.

3. Browser - Even though all the new browsers do support frames, the older versions of these browsers don't. So individuals using these old browsers will not be able to view websites using frames.

    The point that is being emphasized, is that good web designers should create websites that can be viewed by all visitors, whether or not the visitor's browser supports java, javascript, frames, image maps, etc. The best means of improving your designing skills is to imitate the best and to read alot.