Web 2.0 Stores > Fast, Simple, Search Engine Friendly Ecommerce

Matthew Miller wonders, in his latest blog post, if there’s a point when there’s just too much Ajax involved with a site. Where is that tipping point for a normally developed site?

I am one of those people that thinks there is a point where one uses too much AJAX. When a site reaches this point it breaks the way a browser operated, by destroying the back/forward button, printing functions, and other basic browser concepts. AJAX to me is another tool that can be used to make the browsing experience better in some areas, but when used in comparison to an all Flash site things start to annoy me.

He notes that he thinks applications are a bit different (like his example, Writely). They require that much Ajax to function and be useful. It’s more of the “fluff” that he’s talking about. When using Ajax interferes with things like the navigation of the site or use it to pull all/most of the content from a backend (with no degradation built in) , you might want to reconsider something a bit simpler.

He also includes what he sees as his “perfect example” of Ajax’s use on a site - enhancing a file upload. It’s simple, clean, and something that visitors want to see anyway.