Using flash to your SEO advantage

Hi Everybody,
Flash accessibility programming allows marketers to create two versions of a website: One interactive, Flash-based version for users, and one HTML, text-based version for search engine crawlers. The design tactic has become widely accepted among Web developers and even recommended by Google as a means of getting your Flash content recognized by crawlers. And while textual content is the best means to get your website ranked, the adoption of Flash accessibility programming has helped to bridge the gap between SEO and Flash so marketers don’t have to sacrifice brand image and website aesthetics for search engine visibility.

Even so, many marketers have yet to fully embrace Flash accessibility for the additional SEO advantage it offers. Because engines can now “see” Flash content by way of replacement content, marketers now have the opportunity to optimize Flash content (and replacement content) with messages containing highly searched keyword terms. Given that, if you’re going to include Flash on your website, make sure to design it in a manner that is advantageous to SEO: Use Flash content containing keyword-rich messages that can be “replaced” in text form for search engine spiders to crawl.

The recommended method for Flash accessibility programming is Shockwave Object 2.0 (SWF). It has become the industry standard and is gaining popularity with Web designers as endorsements by major search engines continue to emerge. Considered to be the successor of Unobtrusive Flash Objects, SWFObject 2.0 is an open source project that detects whether or not a browser supports Flash and then serves the appropriate version (Flash or HTML text) of the website based on its detection. According to Google, “It offers one solution for everybody and promotes the use of Web standards and alternative content.”

The potential benefits of using SWFObject 2.0 are clear : It allows search engines to see and digest the same important Flash content as users, and as a result, websites may experience increases in search engine visibility on keywords contained in the Flash replacement content. However, marketers should also be aware that SWFObject 2.0 can bolster their website’s keyword density and search engine value by incorporating keyword-targeted messages into their website’s Flash content that can also be replaced, crawled, and indexed in text form.