Flashing is a Crime on the Web Too!

Flash, Interactivity or Inaccessibility?

by Rupert Sharp
of http://www.oyster-web.co.uk

Last updated: 1 Aug 2007

Flash originally burst onto the Internet in 1996 when everyone suddenly saw how 'funky' they could make their websites by adding a Flash menu, game or video. From a customer point of view these seem quite attractive, allowing interaction with the website, but this is not so attractive from an SEO point of view.

A search engine spider can read text on the forms of html, text, links and metadata, but one of the things it cannot read is Flash. Suppose you put a command to call a .swf file that contains an animated image which explains what your company is about: the search spiders read through your page and see something like <embed src="aboutus.swf"> but have no idea what this Flash file is about.

Another big mistake is to create navigation menus using Flash as this completely stops the search engines browsing your site. It is a common mistake: entire websites are based on Flash files. This basically puts a noose around their necks as the website they have spent hours creating will never get above the Nth thousandth page of Google or Yahoo and will scarcely be viewed by anyone.

The best advice I can give is to use flash a few times in non-vital areas. I'm not saying 'don't use flash' but you have to be careful where you put it and don't put anything that people are going to need to know in Flash or behind a Flash menu . Keep to this, and you can keep your cool little features without damaging your main search rankings. Everyone's happy :-)