Recently, I had a client who was working on a project with me in which we were implementing flash objects in the html page.  She spoke with a former colleague of hers who mentioned that she had to re-design her flash website due to search engines skipping over her site because it included flash.

I will tell you what I told her... flash is seen by search engine bots as a picture... it doesn't see words in flash, since it's one big animation (or movie).  So, that is why we implement flash in small pieces throughout the html page.  Instead of creating a full flash site (in which each page opens within one set page...as a movie), we create html pages and insert flash objects, such as motion headers and slide shows, while still using good 'ole html text content within the page.

I found a website online that is devoted to flash... it's called FLASHNEWZ and apparently SOME search engines have been able to extract pieces of text from flash sites...

"Search engines traditionally cannot see flash - but since Flash 4, Macromedia (the guys who make Flash) built into Flash the capability to be 'seen' by the engines. Today search engines like AlltheWeb.com, Lycos and Google among others can index (see into) Flash movies, but only in a limited way. As far as I can tell, the engines can only extract links from the Flash movies and not much else. "

He goes on to backup my method of intermingling flash objects within html pages and ends his commentary with, what I feel, explains this situation perfectly (regarding search engine optimization)...

"In the end content is king; an animation is not going to keep them coming back, good content will!"

You can find his website at http://www.flashnewz.com/flashnewz-5-20040405Flashbasedwebsitesandthesearchengines.html

I'm a firm believer in integrating flash within an HTML website for visual appeal... but do not overdue it.  Your most important landing pages should be content rich and balance out the pages with more pictures and flash or slide shows than the rest. 

ARTICLE BY:
ANNA DALEA
OWNER OF ERT WEBSITE SOLUTIONS

 

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