Will Silverlight reduce my web traffic?

Question

I want to create a web application in Silverlight. Could this reduce my web traffic, and if so, how much?

Answer 1

I think it really depends on who your target audience is. If your users want to access your site using a smartphone, they will not be able to work with Silverlight. If a significant portion of your audience uses Linux, they may not have access to your site.

If your site is interesting enough and your customers do not fall into the two previous categories, they will install the plug-in if they have not already.

However, do not forget that search engine crawlers cannot read inside the Sillverlight application. If you want to be referenced, you may have to use some tricks, such as hiding the bot-readable text behind your Silverlight application. Silverlight alone cannot reduce your traffic (depending on your audience), but a bad link can harm you.

Answer 2

According to the latest PDC, it is rumored that Microsoft itself thinks that HTML5 / JavaScript is the main technology for web applications, and Silverlight - for those who need something very complex, which is difficult to implement using HTML5. Silverlight is also an excellent choice for applications within the network within corporate networks, etc. BTW, Silverlight is not available on iOS devices such as the iPad, and this is a very important issue because such devices are growing in the market. I believe that it will not be available in iOS in the near future.

Answer 3

I think you are looking for information such as http://www.riastats.com/ . This will show you general statistics of what most browsers carry based on each browser / operating system. (Ironically, 100% of their customers will have flash installed, p)

Microsoft will over-estimate the number of users using Silverlight and can process the application, so it’s not recommended to simply go to their website (this is probably based on statistics obtained in their inTRAnet. But I would say that you have a fair market share with him and, assuming you have good content and a great site, people will download everything you need to view it.

As another user, Silverlight is powerful in the workplace. It offers invaluable tools for connecting the network and deploying tools to users without the need for installation (or they can run Out-of-Browser, and it will be updated every time they open it automatically) [very convenient for IT users who hate deployment new software])

Answer 4

Adobe claims that 99% of computers have installed Flash . I'm not sure about the numbers for Silverlight, but I would have thought it was much lower.

One problem with Flash / Silverlight is that Google is more difficult to index than HTML.

Unfortunately, HTML5 will not be a cross-browser solution until IE9, and even then there will be many people using IE7 and IE8 who will not be able to view your application.

I like Silverlight a lot, but I would say yes, it will reduce your web traffic compared to a JavaScript application or flash application.

Answer 5

From a personal point of view, I like Silverlight. I think it looks clean, sharp, I like the functionality and versatility that it offers.

But in terms of usability, looking at the answer from @Mace, I agree that if it weren’t available on growing platforms that would definitely have to take something into account.

A site shared by both @theChrisKent and @Brad Christie is great for getting the necessary information about platform information.

But, again, if it were me, I would go for it only for cleanliness and functionality Silverlight brings to the table. Yes, it can reduce your web traffic, but how much it will simply depend on how your customers look and how their platform is.