What is AJAX?

Read this article if: You are building a new or redesigning an existing web site and your target audience is very web savvy and/or it’s desirable for your company to be positioned as a technology leader.

What is AJAX? AJAX is a modern development technique using common web site programming languages (HTML/CSS/XML/JavaScript) that allows dynamic updates of a web page without reloading the entire page.  AJAX is used to create highly interactive and engaging web pages such as Google Maps.  Web pages employing AJAX technology often support rich user interface features resembling desktop sofware.

Why use AJAX? AJAX is best suited for creating interactive web sites that target Millennials and/or web savvy vistitors.  This target audience expects sites to use this type of interface and would view sites not using these techniques as outdated.  The advanced interface components used by AJAX sites can often be less intuitive for older visitors who expect a more traditional web site interface (underlined text links and grey buttons).  AJAX is best avoided for sites targeting baby boomers.

When use AJAX? AJAX is rarely used for every page of a web site.  It is particularly useful for developing web pages that require a high degree of user interaction, such as forms (registration) or configuration tools (design your new computer).  Informational pages with text content should avoid AJAX, especially pages that you want ranked highly in search engines.  AJAX can often hurt search engine rankings so keep it on the interactive pages.

AJAX Pros:

  • Positions your company as a technology leader
  • Solves complex interface problems
  • Contributes to highly engaging and interactive web sites
  • Can reduce network bandwidth usage and improve web site performance
  • Does not require any special web server technology

AJAX Cons:

  • Requires a development team or agency experienced with AJAX
  • Longer development time and increased costs
  • Can hurt search engine rankings on pages using AJAX
  • Can be confusing to less savvy web site visitors

If your project is handled internally, you should carefully consider whether or not you should be using AJAX.  It’s often hard for Information Technology departments to make objective recommendations in this area.  If you use an agency, their strategist should be able to make a recommendation that is consistent with the information in this article.  Regardless of who is building your site, if you get information from your team that is inconsistent with the information in this article you should consider bringing in an expert to make the call.

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008

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