Disadvantages of Frames * Search engines may not be able to properly spider a framed site. Search engines have a tough time with frames. Using frames either prevents them from finding pages within a web site, or it causes them to send visitors into a site without the proper frame "context" being established.1 Therefore, if a visitor comes into the Web site from a search engine link, the Web page may be on its own without reference, links, or other means to connect into the rest of the Web site. Unless the Web site developer allows for this situation (such as providing links to the main page of the framed Web site), the visitors will not have any navigation or reference into the Web site. * Bookmarking a framed page within a Web site generally won't work, and typically only the main page of the Web site can be bookmarked. There are workarounds within the HTML, but they are not often used. (These workarounds will be addressed in the frames follow-up article, coming soon. An example is at the Electronic Commerce Web site, mentioned above.) * For the same reason that bookmarking a framed page within a Web site generally doesn't work properly, the URL for the entire site appears only as the main page. This can be confusing, especially for newbies to the Internet. (There is a work-around for this, but too often developers don't consider the potential URL confusion.) * Not all browsers support frames.2 Therefore, to maintain accessibility, a framed and non-framed version of the Web site is recommended by the W3 Consortium guidelines.3 * A framed and non-framed version of the Web site are generally needed,4 raising the cost of the Web site and the maintenance. * Often framed Web sites do not close properly when the visitor goes to another Web site, thus keeping the previous Web site's frames around a different Web site. This can be frustrating and confusing for websurfers. The Web site designer must use proper markup within the Web site page links to avoid this problem. Additionally, lawsuits are beginning to appear because of this.5 * Framed Web sites can be problematic for smaller browser windows or laptops, or those prefering to keep their browser windows relatively small. Final comments: While I am not totally opposed to using frames within a Web site design, there are major elements to consider with the technology in its current state (as of 1999), including target market and accessibility. Most often, but not always, the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages. Editor note March 2006: In the ten + years that I've been in the Web design business, I haven't found a need to use frames for a public Web site, and in fact, I don't recommend using frames because of the problems and challenges noted above. I've used them a couple of times for clients insistent upon their use for a public Web site, but framed and no-frames versions of the sites were created. Another instance was for a private Intranet in a controlled environment for which the client insisted upon their use despite my recommendations otherwise. In each of these cases, a frames approach was not at all necessary.
use php includes, it shows up on search engines as being on the actual page. if not, call me a dummy.