10 Flash SEO Tips
It’s no secret that websites built completely with Adobe Flash are not very friendly when it comes to search engine optimization. The biggest reason for this is that Flash hides the text of the website, which contains the valuable keywords that can be indexed by web search engine robots. This keeps Flash websites from showing up in search results. Below are some tips for maximizing the exposure and increasing the indexability of Flash websites.
1. Hand code Flash content into HTML instead of using an HTML editor such as DreamWeaver. HTML editors embed Flash content into the page as binary code, which cannot be indexed by web search crawlers. Hand coding gives you options to add alternate text and hidden descriptions of images and Flash content.
2. Instead of using the same page to load dynamic Flash pages, break them out into pieces and add them on separate pages with the relevant Flash section on each page. This makes the site crawlable since all of the content is not hidden inside the Flash content. If a user’s browser can view Flash and javascript then they’ll get the interactive experience, but if it can’t then the user can still view the website.
3. Try not to embed text into images. Web crawlers cannot read text that is embedded into a binary image.
4. Include alternative text with all Flash segments and images. The alternative text doesn’t appear on the web page, but can be read by web search crawlers.
5. Search engine robots like to be able to figure out the relationship between the pages of your website. Flash can trigger page transitions that are confusing to most search engine crawlers. Try to use standard HTML navigation when possible so that the crawler will be able to analyze the links between your pages and gain a better understanding of their content.
6. Embed the same Flash movie on multiple pages, but pass variable values in the URL that tell the movie where to start so that it looks like you have different content on each page. That will help a search robot to index your site and determine page relationships and content value.
7. Use noscript tags to include the text embedded in SWF files so that it will be displayed if the user’s browser doesn’t support Flash. This will also allow a web crawler to read the text and index your site to determine page rank.
8. When testing your site for SEO you can disable javascript in your browser and view your pages. This should give you an accurate representation of what a web crawler will see so that you can determine the effectiveness of your SEO strategy.
9. Use SWF content to add visual interest to your site where it makes a difference, but not where it might hamper the usability of your site or burden the search engine’s task.
10. Avoid pop-up windows. For example, don’t include a button that the user can click to launch the Flash version of your website because search crawlers can’t see them and will ignore them.
Flash websites provide design elements that are very useful in engaging users that visit your site, but they also hamper the exposure of your site if it can’t be seen by search engines. Utilize the 10 tips above to maximize the visibility of your website so that you can drive users to your site and then keep them there with your Flash content.
