The Best Flash SEO Tutorials
Flash SEO is either a no-no, experts tend to dismiss SEO for Flash altogether in this case, a matter of creating a text version in HTML/CSS or a rather complex endeavor.
So you have basically 4 options:
- Not optimizing Flash at all or not creating a Flash site in the first place
- Creating a parallel version in HTML/CSS that looks less "flashy"
- Undergoing the more complex measures to optimize an all Flash site
- Combining Flash and HTML elements where both fit in best
The fourth is the best one from the start, can not be applied in every case though. #1 is not really an option, it means rather abandoning the Flash project and creating another one. I want to concentrate on #3 as there are still some cases where Flash rocks, even when the site is done completely in Adobe Flash.
Whether it's a photographer's site made in Flash, a movie site or a car site, you can still do some search engine optimization for it.
Flash SEO is seldom undertaken but there are nonetheless tried out methods of doing it. I collected here the best tutorials that explain search engine optimization for Flash. They have been written and published between 2006 and 2010:
- A modern approach to Flash SEO by deconcept
- Does Flash SEO still suck? • Tim Nash “stuff” Blog
- 2009 Google Flash SEO « beu blog
- How to SEO Flash in 2010 « Get Elastic Ecommerce Blog
- Flash and SEO by LeadQual
- Using swfobject to Optimize Flash for SEO by LeadQual
- Making Flash websites search engine friendly by Roy Tanck
- How to SEO Flash by Jonathan Hochman
- Merging Flash with SEO | SEO.com
- How do Flash Sites Rank Well? by Aaron Wall
In case you do not want to read those first I give you following simple 3 step advice for doing SEO with Flash sites:
- Embed your Flash in PHP and create a distinct URL for every crucial keyframe of the movie, in short: mimic a page
- Use XML for all your contents and output it once in your Flash movie and once in an HTML version
- Create a non-Flash menu or sitemap where you link all/important keyframe-URLs
Remember that if you or the client can afford Flash he also can afford SEO. Moreover he has less hassle with different browser and platform incompatibilities so he can spend the money on SEO.
Last updated: August 22nd, 2010.
There are a few of other things you can do SEO/flash wise. But those are the big 3–
It’s nice to see a succinct article on SEO for Flash, thanks.
The righ thing to do is to create a paralell content in HTML. But you have to make some URL’s so it’s up to the visitor to enter Flash or HTML version.
[...] to suit Google. Google spiders are still unable to recognize most advanced web technologies like Flash or AJAX. Google spiders are like little children, you really have to assist them to find stuff and [...]
“The righ thing to do is to create a paralell content in HTML. But you have to make some URL’s so it’s up to the visitor to enter Flash or HTML version.”
I use this tool for the job http://www.flashprobe.com I like the fact it will convert even find SWF files on its own given a web page URL
This is some good advise. I am currently working on a site that is 100% flash and researching how I can make it beneficial. This site probably gave me the best information I have found to date.
Thanks!
[...] you liked this article you will probably also like my Flash SEO overview, the AJAX SEO article and my list of CSS SEO [...]
Thanks, I really enjoyed the information on A modern approach to Flash SEO by deconcept some great tips and some new school ways to do flash optimization.
Thanks..
and You can Embed Title in Flash.. it will just help you like image’s alt tags
Do you think Flash is on it’s way out with the likes of Steve Jobs banning it from Apple products? I have an iPhone and it is somewhat irritating when there is flash on a site which does not display because of this corporate fight between Apple and Adobe.