Developing a drop down menu: Do I use javascript or pure css?

[seozachz]

I am developing a drop down menu and am trying to decide if using javascript instead of just css is worth it.

I've done some research on the topic and the opinions seem dated.  I know that at one time not using javascript for a drop down menu was important but now less so.  Google constantly says that they will not discount the links just because they are not shown until javascript is ran.

What I want to know is has anyone discovered from testing that using javascript instead of css for a drop down makes a difference?

Note: the links will not be located in an external javascript file.

[PaulKMia]

Hey Zachary!

It's a good idea to use pure css menus when the design and functionality are the same as using a menu with javascript AND the actual menu items are in a clean

html list (not delivered through the JS). But keep in mind that cross-browser functionality can be an issue with pure css menus. Internet Explorer is a real problem in this regard.

As for SEO, I doubt inline javascript that adds functionality to a clean html list will make search engines burp. We used to worry a lot about that like 5 years ago because JS used to cause slow load times, but nowadays the Internet is a lot faster, servers are faster, caching is better, etc... All the same, it's good coding practice to remove inline JS from HTML.

If you want something fast and cross-browser supported look for jquery menus. There are free samples all over the place and they are brilliantly fast and you can list your menu items in a plain html list (the important thing).

Happy coding... - P