Flash has been getting a bad rap over the past few years. The once favorite medium for interactive design, Flash, has most definitely suffered at the hands of mobile users. It lacks support in many mobile devices, and is not supported at all on Apple’s iPhone or iPad.
I remember back in my college days being thrilled to learn Flash, because it offered the freedom to design any way I wanted and looked great in any browser (this was before mobile browsers). This is not that case today, with HTML5 anything (just about) done in Flash can be created in HTML5 and work on smart phones and tablets.
What do should you do if you own a website?
Should you trash it? Our answer: Well, yes. Eventually.
The way things are going, mobile devices will replace desktops as the primary way users access the internet over the next couple of years. So, yes, eventually you will need to replace your existing Flash website for a modern HTML5 if you wish to be accessible to your customers. If your website doesn’t get much mobile traffic (check Google Analytics to find out), there is no major need to replace your Flash website. However, if you are getting a decent amount of mobile traffic (or if you want to increase your mobile traffic), you will need to move to a HTML website sooner so it can be accessible.
Why HTML5?
HTML5 improves the HTML language by making it universal across browsers and devices (including smartphones, tablets, and desktops). It is also accessible by search engine robots, which gets your site found in Google and the other search engines. Search engine robots can not read Flash websites, so your site could be losing a great amount of traffic.
HTML5 is a newer technology, the whole HTML5 specification reached final Recommendation status in late 2011, so many web design companies are not too familiar with it. So before you begin to make the switch, be sure you are working with an experienced Riverside/Temecula web design company that can provide the best web design and development Southern California has to offer – including HTML5 websites.