Everything you need to know about the HTML tag
Using the <frame> HTML tag allows the browser window to be divided into multiple sections that can be loaded separately. The term “frameset” refers to a collection of frames found in a single browser window.
The <frame> tag is interesting because in some situations it actually shouldn’t be used. In this how-to we’re going over when the <frame> tag should be used and how to use it effectively.
Why the <frame> HTML tag is used
The <frame> HTML tag allows the developer to draw the user’s attention to a particular page section within the larger framework. Some pages may have several such subsections. In this case, an HTML frame tag is used inside the <frameset> tag. There can be multiple frame tags inside a single frameset tag, with each frame tag displaying its section of the webpage.
SPECIAL NOTE: In HTML, a frame element functions as a block. As it has been made obsolete, you should stop using it in HTML 5. Instead the iframe HTML tag can be used.
How to use the <frame> HTML Tag
Web browsers can display frames if you use the frameset tag in HTML rather than the body tag.
Frameset tags instruct the browser on how it should partition the window into multiple panes. A frame’s unique identifier, or “frame tag,” specifies which HTML file will be rendered inside the frame. Horizontal frames in an HTML document are determined using the row attribute of the frame tag, while vertical frames are specified using the col attribute.
The importance of the <frame> tag
Because of the frames, website visitors no longer have a positive User Experience (UX). Due to the nature of micro-domains, using frames can also harm your SEO rankings. There are a lot of domains that need to be crawled and indexed separately. Crawlers will be unable to properly index your page because of this, lowering its search engine rankings.
In addition, HTML5 does not support the <frame> tag. Frames should be avoided if you want your site to be easily crawled.
The only way around this is to include a noframes> tag in your HTML code with a keyword rich description. If the image you tried to load did not succeed, this tag would appear instead. That data is also what the web crawler sees as it makes its way through your site. But it’s important to remember to place it outside of the <frameset> tag. If not, the robots might miss it. However, there’s no assurance that your website will be indexed accurately.
Over the years the <frame> tag has been expanded to include a few related tags. The <frame> related tags include:
<frameset>
The <frameset> HTML tag allows you to specify multiple embedded frames within the main HTML document.
<iframe>
<iframe> is closely associated with <frame>. An inline frame is indicated by the <iframe> HTML tag, which embeds a media file, a Java applet, or any other HTML document type into an existing web page.
<noframes>
Web browsers that do not support frames can use the alternative <noframes> HTML tag. But it’s worth noting the <noframes> tag in HTML has been considered obsolete, so its use is discouraged.