Websites With Flash Intros

Yesterday I was talking to one of my clients who is in the entertainment industry.  The entertainment industry has the idea that their website need to be flashy and have a big impact as soon as someone lands on their page.    I disagree and think that the rules of online marketing still apply and flash introductions are bad – not only for search engines but they just annoy people.

I told my client that I don’t like them but at the end of the days it’s their website and if they want a flash intro we can build it.   Just after having this conversation I was on Twitter, clicked on a few links and found this image.

It’s part of an article on the 8 websites you need to stop building.  Whilst I don’t agree with all areas they are discussing I do believe about the flash intros.  The image really sums it up.

Have a flash intro is like having someone standing out the front of your retail door, harassing your clients before they come into the store.  Making people do something before they are allowed to enter.  This is exactly what a flash introduction does.  If you were at the front of Borders and a sale person said you need to watch this video/intro/see our specials before you can come in – what would you do?  If there was another book store next door, I would just go in there.  This is what happens when people do a Google search – land on your website, are confronted with an introduction.  They click back and find another website which doesn’t have this introduction.

People are searching Google to find solutions to their problems, so make sure your website solves their problems and don’t confront them with flash.

What do you think about this?  Does your website have a flash introduction?  Do flash introductions annoy you?