First it is prudent to give a little potted history of the web and the use of iframes.
When the web was starting out most pages were just text pages. Browsers were text based and the use of graphics as we see today was a futuristic dream! After the arrival of Windows 95 (which really kick started modern computer usage) users became more used to a Graphical User Interface (the GUI) meaning that web browsers had to catch up. Do you remember Netscape Navigator? That pioneered an age where the web was no longer text based but now allowed graphics, colors and shapes.
Now, from this grew the use of frames, frames are a way of piecing together a single web page referencing several web pages to make up that page. The use of iframes grew from this. Today iframes, while an older technology are still often used as a way for presenting content from another site within the framework of your site. In the case of Real Estate agents – property search pages are often framed in when using an older web site or search technology. Which is generally a bad idea for Realtors and their business.
From the user perspective iframes serve up the required information as you want them to see it, so where is the issue? Well, as the business owner you want to be able to track a user on a site and make sure that you keep their attention to your site as much as possible. Using iframes does not allow this to be done. Imagine the scenario where you go to a Real Estate site and go to a property search page with an framed search function. Suddenly when you click on the search results you are redirected to the individual listing which is an UNBRANDED property page. That is a problem – unbranded property search pages are common and once you have a potential client in to those unbranded pages you have effectively “lost” them from your site.
Those unbranded search pages often have their own menus which of course do not correspond with pages on your site;it’s the unbranded property search. So, in essence you are now unable to track a visitor who has come to your site!
Also many of these iframed property search pages also have the capability for visitors to sign up for email drip programs which will be from that system and not from perhaps the intended system you wanted. These emails will again likely be unbranded and could drive the visitor to other pages. Asides from the extra complication, by this time the visitor has likely forgotten about your site and contacting you!
The iframes therefore have several knock on effects – analytics will suffer, page count will suffer and time on your site will suffer and all of these important measures are used to track the profitability of your site. You can’t manage what you can’t measure.
So, what is the solution? An integrated property search solution that creates dynamic pages within your sites framework and architecture. All of the sites that Arranging Pixels develops use this method which allows better tracking of visitors, looks better due to continuous branding and helps people stay on your site longer.