In web design and development, frames provide a structure that divides a web page into two or more independent sections. When changes are made to web elements inside a frame, such as text changes or the addition of an image, the layout and content in neighboring frames will be unaffected.
 
Tip: Frames can cause indexing problems with the search engines. Although the search engines claim they can index text contained in frames, this is not always the case. Certain frame elements and structures impede the search engine indexing process. For example, text in an inline frame is hard to capture. An inline frame has text embedded inside a dropdown box located near the center of a web page.
 
Be sure to discuss frames (and the associated issues with search engine ranking) with your search engine optimization consultant before designing them into your website. If you use frames, it’s important to know how to use them without seriously affecting your rankings. For example, avoid having keywords you want picked up by the search engines inside of an inline frame.