Comments on: Flash authors ponder Google pitfalls

Flash developers at San Francisco conference hear tips on making their sites Google-friendly.

[directorblue]

In its current state, Flash should be used as an adjunct to a web site...

...not as the wrapper/navigational controller.

Example: virtual makeover site for women - have the makeover tool be a flash-based panel. But have all HTML-based navigation.

Another example: Have a small Flash-based advertisement on a site's front-page. But have the majority of the site content in HTML so it can be spidered.

Flash has its place - but, at this stage of the game, it's tactical - not strategic (IMO).

http://directorblue.blogspot.com

[sixit]

Flash Lites: Quit being lazy

Here is a simple, effective remedy: Don't use flash for navigation or content. I've seen too many lazy and/or uneducated companies and webmasters that make sites from Flash; a purpose for which it was not created. Who's bright idea was that, anyway?

Many people, including me, don't care to download a third-party program just to see eye candy, unless we're looking for frogs in blenders. Give me the information for which I'm looking, and I *might* buy from you. Make me jump through your hoops to see your site and I'll get it elsewhere. Tell your execs that, too.

It's that simple.

Cheers,
Robert Reese~

[kbrill]

wow

You and your 2400 baud modem may like life in the text based era, but flash has ALOT to offer. While I hate "flash intros" and whole site made entirely in flash, I have seen very intuitive menu systems and content in flash that would have been crappy in pure text. And if your too lazy to install flash you must have loved when those whippersnappers started using those jpeg thingamagigs.

[TV James]

Metadata not indexed?

I thought Google avoided meta tags for description and keywords, instead loading its summary from the page itself?

Flash is great for entertainment, but rarely is there a need for an entire site to be made out of it.

[meechp123]

Meta Title in Google

As far as I can tell, Google is still using the meta description tags when indexing pages. I checked out some of my sites and the meta description is being displayed with the results.

Flash and SEO

We recently completed a project wherby we parsed HTML as xml
and just pulled it into flash. If a user (or search engine spider)
cannot see the flash, then they get a standards-compliant html
page with all of the links and text easily viewable.

We are just starting on the rest of the SEO and link popularity
campaign, so we should start seeing the full effects soon.

Check it out - www.fathomonline.com

- Ross Anderson
posner advertising
www.posneradv.com

[snapper422]

Speaker Cox explains further

The second suggestion that I made in the presentation, about Flash being embedded into static pages, can be taken a step further. You can use 'inlcude tag' technology (usable both in .SHTML and .ASP) to include Flash components into a templated, but static system. That way, even if you use Flash extensively throughout your site, you can update it quickly. Just be sure you have actual html text on every page. For more information about using include tags, go here: http://www.web-source.net/web_development/server_side_includes.htm . - Sincerely, Gregory Cox

[snapper422]

I have also included my discussion here:

http://www.leyline.net/speaking_engagements_01.shtml is the page that has my actual presentation and supplemental files. - G.