I constantly hear comments like “Don’t use Flash on your site because it will really hurt you in the search engines.”
I would lump this in with a growing number of unsubstantiated theories thrown out by armchair SEO experts that are more conjecture than substance.
There is no question that if you have a Flash-only site and you want to have any exposure in organic search engine listings, you really have your work cut out for you. But there are many creative ways to work keyword-rich text into a page that makes strong use of Flash content.
And there is more. As of Fall ‘08, Google is starting to index content that is contained within Flash objects. Very cool stuff.
Here are a few great sources:
Flash indexing does look to be a work in progress, but the progress should come quickly in ‘09 as search engines strive to support sites with rich content.
Our recommendations for January ‘09 are as follows:
1. If top search engine placement is one of your prime objectives for your site, minimize your use of Flash unless you have expertise with SEO.
2. If integration of Flash is important to you – either to enhance your marketing message or to add functionality, go for it. Just make sure you include alternate text content on your pages that incorporate Flash.
3. Let me qualify point #2. If you have an ecommerce site and your use of Flash consists of a large, cheesey animation on your home page, you would be better off ditching the flash and making some better use of your valuable screen real estate.
4. Keep yourself up-to-date with the new developments in Flash indexing or align yourself with someone who has this knowledge.
5. Don’t forget about general accessibility issues. Flash can present some issues for users with disabilities. Don’t leave these users in the dark.
