Google Indexing Flash - Google News

In the summer of 2008, Google announced it had improved the indexing of Adobe Flash files: Text in Flash files was now crawlable. But before you run out and pay to have a fancy new website built for you, consider these 5 points that Google makes in regards to SEO for Flash.

1. Google can crawl and index all of the text content users see as they interact with the Flash file. That’s a big step in the right direction, since ensuring a site is crawlable is the No. 1 SEO basic. But still, a few points to keep in mind concerning SEO for Flash:

* Google maintains that the text in Flash files is treated like text in HTML or PDF files.
* If identical content is used in both Flash and HTML, Google will likely see it as duplicate content.
* If a Flash file is embedded in HTML, you’ll be able to add meta information, but the content will be indexed as a single item.

2. Google can now discover links within Flash files. In other words, if a Flash file includes links to your website pages, you can increase your odds of Google finding and crawling more of the site – just as is the case with links that appear in HTML and other files.

3. Google can index external content that a Flash file loads and associate it with that Flash file. This capability is an update from the summer 2008 revision. Previously, if a Flash file were to load an HTML or XML file, Google would not associate that external content with the Flash file. This new capability, introduced just this summer, allows linked content to appear in search results.

4. Google supports common JavaScript techniques for embedding Flash. Another update from the 2008 revision. Previously, if a page loaded a Flash file using JavaScript, Google wouldn’t recognize or index it.

5. Google can index sites scripted with ActionScript. That includes AS1, AS2 and AS3 versions. Google also maintains that is does not decompile Flash files or expose ActionScript code if it’s not visible to users.

All that said, Google’s ability to crawl Flash files is still growing and evolving, so building a site entirely in Flash isn’t best practice. To create the right balance when it comes to using Flash and implementing SEO for Flash, consider these tips:

* Don’t use Flash as the navigation.
* Embed Flash files into HTML pages.
* Use descriptive page titles and meta descriptions.
* Don’t include an entire site in one Flash file. Instead, break the content into multiple Flash files with different HTML pages.
* Use Flash for design elements and less-important content, and use HTML for the most important page elements.