We just wrapped up a redesign for a local restaurant client who was still running a site built entirely in Flash back in 2004. Menus that never got updated, no way for search engines to read the text, and a splash screen nobody had the patience to sit through twice. Here is what we took away from the project, including a few arguments we had internally about whether to keep any Flash at all.

1. Clients want to edit the menu themselves.
Every restaurant owner we have worked with eventually wants to change a price or add a dish without calling us. Building the menu as plain content rather than a baked-in image or Flash movie saved everyone a lot of phone calls.

2. Search engines still can't read Flash text.
The old site never showed up for the restaurant's own name in search results. Within two weeks of launch, the new HTML version was already outranking three directory listings the client didn't even know existed.

3. Not every visitor has a fast connection.
We tested the site on an older laptop over a hotel wireless connection and the difference was obvious. Not everyone has broadband at home yet, and plenty of people still check a restaurant's hours from a work computer that locks down browser plugins entirely.

4. A simple RSS feed for specials was an easy win.
We added a small feed so regular customers could subscribe to the weekly specials. Explaining what RSS actually does took longer than building it, but a few customers have already told us they use it.

5. Mobile matters more than clients think.
With the iPhone now in enough pockets around town, we made sure the hours, address and phone number were usable without a mouse. It's a small thing, but it is the first part of the site some visitors will ever see.

In the end we kept one small piece of Flash: the slideshow of the dining room on the About page, with a plain photo underneath for anyone without the plugin.

If your business is still running a Flash-only site, get in touch through our contact page and we'll take a look at what a redesign might involve.