A couple weeks ago, Google appear that they had bigger the way it indexes Flash files. Has something afflicted in Google's search after-effects in the meantime? Is this change adequate annual for you if you acquire a Flash site?

What has changed?

Google can now base the textual adequate in SWF files of all kinds, including buttons, absorbed and absolute Flash websites.

Google can aswell ascertain URLs that appear in Flash files and it adds these URLs to the abounding pipeline.

What has not changed?

Google still doesn't acquire the altercation that appears on images. FLV files, such as YouTube videos aswell won't be indexed because they don't board text.

As abounding Flash websites acquire of images and added multimedia elements, the abandoned altercation that Google finds on these websites adeptness be "Loading", "Please wait" or "Copyright".

Google aswell cannot assassinate some JavaScript types. If your website amaranthine a Flash book via JavaScript, Google adeptness not be able to accretion your Flash file.

In addition, Google cannot attach adequate from conflicting sources that are loaded by Flash files. If your Flash page amaranthine an HTML or XML book afresh these files will be brash as absent documents.

Why is Flash still a affliction for search engines?

Flash adequate and accustomed HTML pages are fundamentally different. Just because Google can now base some altercation from Flash files doesn't abject that Flash files are now search engine friendly. Here's why:

It's harder to bifurcate the altercation into allusive sections. Flash doesn't use

or

tags to absent adapted sections of text. It's harder to accustom what's important and what's not. Even worse, Flash designers about aperture down words into their abandoned belletrist to accomplish "cool" altercation effects. That bureau that search engines cannot base these texts.

Usually, the complete adequate of a website is presented on the aloft URL. You cannot hotlink to a adapted allocation of a Flash website. That bureau that it is aswell difficult for search engines to accretion the accordant breadth of the Flash site.

In addition, this bureau that Flash websites don't get adequate entering links to the adapted pages. A lot of Flash websites abandoned get links to their home page.

The analysis of Flash websites makes it difficult to get top rankings. Abounding Flash files are affiliated from added Flash files and no added websites hotlink to these centralized Flash elements. The abbreviation of links from added websites makes it absolute difficult to get top rankings for these elements.

Flash doesn't use the basal SEO methods. You won't accretion able hotlink texts, banderole tags or even appropriately optimized appellation tags in a lot of Flash sites. That makes it absolute difficult to get adequate rankings.

Most Flash adequate is still not crawlable. As mentioned above, Google won't base adequate in images and it has problems with JavaScript calls.

What can you do to beforehand your rankings if you acquire a Flash site?

If possible, abjure accurate Flash websites and use Flash elements abandoned if needed. If you acquire to use Flash on your website, the after tips will admonition you to get bigger rankings:

Include the altercation and the links from the Flash book in an HTML acclimation on the aloft page.

Use JavaScript and CSS to accretion out if the website aggregation can anatomize Flash and afresh present the CSS DIVs that board the affiliated content. Accustomed website users will see the Flash file, visitors who cannot anatomize Flash (for classic search engines) will see the HTML version.

Use CSS and accomplish a bandage with your accustomed HTML adequate and afresh position accession bandage with the Flash adequate aloft the HTML bandage so that your website visitors abandoned see the Flash content.

Note that search engines adeptness adapt this acclimation as a spamming attempt.

Use adapted URLs for adapted sections of your website. Each set of adequate should acquire its own adapted URL.

Flash has not been brash for search engines and it is acutely difficult to get top rankings with accurate Flash sites