Website Design: Frames

The use of frames is to let Web designer to divide a single Web page in to multiple "frames" that can each be edited separately. In recent times frames have become a topic of discussion and arguments among web designer all over the world. The reason is not just its application in a website design but the search engines as well.

There are some benefits in using frames the web pages appear neat without borders. Frames allow a designer to keep useful information on screen. In a way you can always create a page information space for your logo or brand name.

The frames let a web designer display more than one HTML document on the user’s web browser. Each HTML document is referred to as a frame, and each frame is independent of the others. One can create a horizontal and vertical frame with a number of frame sets. The frame set tag divides the window into frames using a set of rows or columns. The value of columns/row defines the screen area.

The frame set can be at the top for global navigation or on the right and left for navigation to the respective directions. In many cases the top frame can always be kept in the view so when the user scrolls down the top navigation frame is always in view. This way advertisement banners can also be embedded on the website design.

A designer can create a table of content using frames for the website this can be used in all the web pages else if tables are used the designer will have to create same HTML on each and every page.

The disadvantages of using frames are the website designer has to keep track of more than one HTML documents. If a web designer creates two frames in a web page and an element has to be embedded in all frames then it requires working on three documents for the web designer. It is difficult to print a web page created by using frames. Not all browser support frames. Frames can clutter the web pages ruin the functionality and down loading speed of the website. Therefore frames increase server load and maintenance.

Frames are not good for search engine optimization as well for some search engine instruct their robot to skip pages with frames as they find indexing framed pages difficult’.