affiliate program |  about us |  contact

 


Frames Part 3: Why frames are not a good marketing tool

Web marketing focuses on web users’ needs, wants and expectations. This is necessary to create, establish and develop mutually beneficial relationships between website owners and web users. Most frames do not meet the criteria for the following reasons.

Needs
Web users need to easily access information. With frames, the web site structure can take precedence. It slows down the web user and even detract from the contents.

  • Which frames are scrollable?

  • How will these frames bookmark?
  • Will the frames be printed ‘as laid out on screen’, ‘only the selected frame’ or ‘all frames individually’?

  • Can I email successfully a link to this page?

Wants
 Most web users (80%) rate ease of navigation as a very important factor in determining which sites to visit (Consumer WebWatch 2002). Frames is a designer’s tool that often adversely affect the interface.

Expectations
Web users expect frames to fit the conceptual model of the web where each page has a unique address. When frames are displayed within the frameset, they lose their URL. When taken out of context—without the frameset—they are difficult to identify without the other sections such as the logo, banner, navigation bar, etc.To top of page

Other marketing arguments against frames

By using frames, you may

Assume target market’s knowledge of frames
Not everyone understands and knows how to navigate with frames. Printing, bookmarking  and scrolling can cause confusion and frustration for inexperienced web users.

Prevent repeat visits
Some sites will not bookmark successfully and therefore, visitors may not be able to retrace your URL.

Reduce the market size
Frames can turn away readership. Noframes advocates and web users who can’t use frames for various reasons (eg palm tops) will not visit you.

Ignore branding opportunities
Your corporate identity (eg logo, tagline) may not be captured when the content frame is printed.
Furthermore, the frame containing your corporate identity may be missing whenever the user arrives at your site from a link, search engine, bookmark or any other entry point other than the homepage,

Restrict advertising opportunities
The web user can choose to print only the frame containing the contents. Consequently, the advertisers’ and sponsors’ banners in the other frames will not benefit from an offline promotion on the printed document.

To top of page

Prevent email promotion
"Email this article to a friend" is the internet ‘word of mouth’ providing a personal recommendation to your page. Frames do not facilitate this free publicity.

Promote customer dissatisfaction
Frustration due to frames shortcomings inhibits customer satisfaction.

Jeopardize your credibility
Some customers perceive that frames do not provide security. They are worried that hackers use credible framed sites to display unauthorised content . Although web designers have upgraded security, establishing trust takes time.

Food for thought

· Given the choice, how many web users would chose frames instead of a noframes option?
· How many web designers do a pilot test with their frames?

What's good about frames
Why do web users hate frames 200 Marketing Ideas for Your Website

Henriette Martel-Lawson is a website strategist and author of 200 Marketing Ideas for Your Website. Receive a free ebook when you subscribe to WEBmarketingcues, a free and valuable newsletter with articles, reviews and resources to help you market your own website. http://www.marketingcues.com

© 2003 Henriette Martel-Lawson
----------

You can reproduced this article in your magazine or newsletter so long as it is reprinted in full (no editing) to the above line. It should contain authorship and copyright information as well as the URL. Send me an email to let me know where it was reprinted.

To Index of ArticlesTo top of page

More readings about frames

Why Frames Suck (Most of the Time) by Jakob Nielsen. 1996. This is a "classic" article.

Framing the Web by Dan Brown. 1998. Tutorial about frames.

Frames Are a Picnic by Jill Atkinson. 1999. In this article, Jill uses the picnic plate as a metaphor to explain frames. Amusing article.

Search Engines And Frames by Danny Sullivan. 2000. Danny explains the search engines issues with frames.
 

home  |  articles  |  bookstore  |  seminars  |  about us  |  policies  |  contact
  2001-2006 Marketing Cues Perth Australia
www.marketingcues.com