For a Site to impress people, Flash is required. At the same time, Google needs text “sub-titles” to make sense of what’s on the screen. The Site must use search engine optimization to entertain two audiences.
The Landing Page method of listing the Flash’s text content is one way to provide guidance for search engines. The auxiliary search term text-enriched Landing Page Links to the Flash Page or Pages.
Having the .swf jewel in a standard HTML setting is something that can be used, too. In addition to the <title>, keyword and description meta tags, and an unobtrusive text navigation footer, static images with ALT tags can often be deployed.
Google does index Flash Pages. The current state of the technology is if you do an advanced search limiting the file type to .swf, you get lots of entries, but without any sort of consistent value. My quick impression is that most of these “Flash” Pages are really defective uses of the technology. Also, Flash is often delivered through a javascript. Search engines can’t be relied on to be aware of javascript. The belief is that If the search engine is blind to javascript, the best SEO-tuned Flash will have no effect.
Google continues to recommend viewing a Page in Lynx to “see” a Page like a bot — only the text that’s fit to print:
http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35769
Doing a regular Google search, how often are Flash Pages high (or at all) in the results? Is it possible for Flash Pages without any SEO in the code to get a high ranking? Do a search using chocolateas the term. Some people point to hersheys.com as a top-ranking Flash Site. But, even though the Main Page is basically exclusively Flash, the rest of the Site has plenty of text and lots of conventional elements. (See below.)
And, in terms of chocolate, Hersheys can bend the rules.
All of the above ignores Backlinks. Without a way of deploying Links, the most SEO-fecund Site will be like an egg without a hen to attend the hatching process. Patience is not necessarily a virtue.
|
<meta content=”Shop unique, personalized chocolate gifts from HERSHEYS brands you love. HERSHEY’S Gifts specializes in personalized candy for birthday gifts, thank you gifts, holiday gifts, wedding gifts and more. HERSHEY’S Gifts also offers MAUNA LOA Macadamia Nuts, Special Message KISSES Chocolates and Fresh from the Factory. ” name=”description” /> <meta content=”chocolate gift, chocolate gifts, chocolate, candy gift, candy gifts, gift basket, gift baskets, chocolate gift baskets, food gifts, chocolate personalized gifts, personalized candy, personalized chocolate gifts, birthday gift, birthday gifts, hershey, hersey, Hershey candy, Hershey chocolate, hershey gifts, hershey’s, hershey’s gifts, macadamia nut, macadamia nuts, mauna loa ” name=”keywords” />
<title>HERSHEY’S GIFTS – Unique, Personalized Chocolate Gifts Everyone Loves</title> |
