| Back in 2008, Google and Adobe released the news | | | | harder to get a flash based website to perform as |
| that Google had developed its algorithm to be able to | | | | well as a html or normally coded website. |
| better spider, index and rank flash based sites. | | | | If you did not want two versions of your website, you |
| Although this was undoubtedly good news for | | | | could still achieve very good SEO results by |
| webmasters and developers who wanted to have | | | | concentrating on off site SEO. This can consist of: |
| flash based sites, it still really only affected the ability to | | | | - Link Building - Using one way back links, with the |
| be able to pick the text from the page, as videos, | | | | keywords you want to rank for as the title of the link |
| animations and other graphical elements would still be | | | | is probably one of the best things to concentrate on. |
| almost impossible for Google to accurately deal with. | | | | - Press Releases - Releasing press releases to paid |
| When sitting down with a client who wants a flashed | | | | and free press release sites, consisting of your main |
| based site, we always stress that it will be harder for | | | | keywords title and content can help drive traffic to |
| any SEO work to be carried out on the site, and that | | | | your site and help rank for keywords that you might |
| we would prefer to offer an html version of the | | | | be struggling for. Many press release sites also offer a |
| website as well. This works well for both the engines | | | | back link on the release as well. |
| and the client, because it is still important to remember | | | | - Article Submission - Releasing well written articles to |
| that not everyone likes flash sites and indeed, some | | | | paid and free article directories and sites, consisting of |
| corporate companies and businesses actively block | | | | your main keywords title and content can help drive |
| flash from their systems, so would render the website | | | | traffic to your site and help rank for keywords that |
| useless. | | | | you might be struggling for. Many article sites also |
| By having a landing page which is not flash based and | | | | offer a back link on the release as well. |
| offering the option of using a flash site or an html | | | | - Social Bookmarking - The majority of social |
| version of the site is in our opinion the way to go. This | | | | bookmarking sites allow you to publishing links to your |
| means you can make the landing page content rich | | | | sites and also content as well. This means you can |
| and keyword efficient, which will allow a better | | | | use this as not only a traffic driving measure, but also |
| indexing of your site, and therefore still offer the users | | | | as a link building exercise as well. |
| the chance to view your flash site but at the same | | | | Whether you decide to change your mind about |
| time give easy access to the engines for your html | | | | developing a flash only site or decide to stick to what |
| site. | | | | you really want, it really is a case of what option you |
| It is fair to say the non flash sites are more accurately | | | | feel is best. On one hand, flash based sites can look |
| indexed perform better when we look at the rankings | | | | amazing, but on the other, if you struggle to get decent |
| and results, because the major engines can | | | | SEO behind the site, will anyone really ever see it? |
| understand a "normal" site much more effectively than | | | | Although flash can be an excellent addition to a |
| a flash based website. It is important to remember that | | | | website, basing your whole site on flash is a massive |
| technology keeps evolving and changing, so this might | | | | decision, and one that should not be taken lightly. |
| not be the case forever, but at the moment it is much | | | | |