Use Tables or Frames

Even if you're only vaguely into web site building you should already be aware of the cosmetic difference between tables and frames. But are you aware of what sort of impact your choice of page type might have on the future of your site? For example your long-term search engine rankings could be affected or your page display speed somewhat slower, simply because you chose to favour one kind of layout opposed to the other.

It isn't a decision that should be taken lightly either, you see both tables and frames have their good points and bad, so you should take a few moments to think about what you really want from your site. Is it important to you to get listed in as many search engines as possible? Would you rather have quick page download speeds? Do you want a site that is very easy to maintain?

Of course, even if you do decide to choose frames for your main site layout, you are probably going to be using tables to some degree even if you don't have to make an intricate layout for your navigation. In this respect the frames user has to be aware of the problems due to tables on their page also.

Tables: the Pros...

  • Searchable by all the search engines without causing confusion
  • Only the one page needs to be downloaded to see the whole page layout
  • Easier to use
  • Can be used to create separate sections on the page

Tables: the Cons...

  • The whole table must load before it is displayed leading to slower display speeds
  • Because navigation links need to be on each page, the page size is typically larger
  • You have to pay attention to your HTML tags otherwise it could look a mess and may not even display in some browsers
  • A large site could be difficult to maintain as navigation links are on all the pages

Frames: the Pros...

  • Because navigation is usually in a different frame, the content pages tend to be smaller and download much quicker
  • Can be used to hide the real URL of a page to some extent
  • Hidden frames can contain scripts or images that only need to be loaded the once
  • Frames sites are typically easier to maintain because they don't have to edit all the pages to change just one link

Frames: the Cons...

  • Some search engine spiders do not understand the typical frame code and so will not list your site
  • Bookmarking of pages can be a problem if the user wants to bookmark a particular page inside the site
  • If listed in a search engine or bookmarked, the page the user visits might become a dead end without some way to restore the frame set
  • If one page is missing or does not load, it spoils the whole look of the page
  • Can use a lot of pages and so some logical page naming is often needed
  • One small error in your frameset code could render the whole site useless
  • Links will often need to be targeted to become effective and even usable (depending on the size of the frame the link is in)
  • It is much harder to build up a "seamless page" look