Flash, the benefits, challenges & search engine compatibility

If you're looking to make a big impression from a graphical point of view, Flash is definitely one of the best solutions.

It does however have drawbacks that must be taken into account.

Flash is a powerful technology that should be treated with care, respect & used in moderation when called for. The target audience needs to be researched & strongly considered before Flash is employed.

Many web users would always rather sacrifice a sites look & feel for the ability to access information quickly & easily. Its a battle between presentation & load times.

If Flash is really what you want, consider using it in conjunction with other more standard technologies & always, always provide backup content for non flash users & accessibility compliance.

Flash and Non-Flash web site versions

There is always the option of offering both Flash & non-Flash versions of your site. This however would most likely cause more problems than benefits, the maintenance alone would be nightmare.

Flash and Search Engines

Perhaps the most important consequence to consider when using Flash is its effect on Search Engines.

Until recently search engine spiders have been unable to crawl Flash based web content. Meaning that if your website was entirely built from Flash, you probably didn't enjoy very good organic rankings. Even now, Flash website's are consistently out performed by XHMTL & HTML sites in respect of search engine rankings.

Currently, if you have a site based completely on Flash & you are in pursuit of higher search engine rankings it would probably be well worth your time rebuilding your site.

Never underestimate the value of search engines as a source of visitors to your web site. Read more on Search Engine Optimisation Explained.

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