You've read objections and opinion. Here's information:

According to US Department of Commerce, Internet traffic doubles every 100 days. In year 2000, there were approximately 102 million Internet users in US alone. Today, 70% of America is on Internet. In 1994 entire Internet economy was $5 Billion, in 1998 that same figure was $301 Billion, and Forrester Research predicted that that figure would be $3.1 Trillion by 2003. Well 2003 is almost over, and latest statistics available at time of writing show this to be a reasonable expectation. 65% of people in America that are on Internet make their buying decisions online… there are more people that access Internet when they're looking to buy products and services than there are that pick up yellow pages.

Now, I ask you, does your business need a web site?

There are many qualified web designers that are quite capable of developing a cost effective, aesthetically appealing and functional web site for your business. You can find them on web or in phone book. Good luck with your business!

4. Am I trying to accomplish things that plain HTML can't?

One consideration to make is whether a static, HTML site will do justice to your content. If your site needs to come to life in some way because it will engage your audience better, then Flash could be answer.

5. Will I still have good exposure on search engines if I use Flash?

Doing too much in Flash will sacrifice exposure on search engines. In other words, engines will not have enough text on which to base their indexing. If access to your site through search engines is important to your success, be sure that you don't overdo it on Flash side.

6. Do I rely on non-vector graphics?

Non-vector graphics, such as photographs, are not easy for Flash to process. This means that animations in Flash using this type of imagery will get easily bogged down.

Another concern is that Flash does not cache (or store) non-vector images, therefore they must be reloaded each time. Not a pleasant thing for your visitors! This is in contrast to HTML-based scenarios where browser will cache imagery for instant retrieval.

As you can see, Flash is not always right solution. This is true of any aspect of Web development, where you need to research your options carefully and choose right combination of tools that works best for you. If you seek outside help, make sure you find a team with right expertise and a solid track record to back it up. Good luck!

Josh Barinstein is President of Red Frog, Inc., the Southern California ad agency that provides worry-free experiences and powerful results in the areas of Marketing, Print design, and Web/CD-ROM development.