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Thread: Search Engine Optimization

  1. #1
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    Search Engine Optimization

    I've created a flash site and placed the movie in a html file.

    Is there a way of Optimizing my Flash Site for Search Engines?

  2. #2
    Ryan Thomson EvolveDesigns's Avatar
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    for the most part, swf files are ignored by search engines... google claims to be able to pull text and links although I've never had much luck with this when I tested it. When you publish from flash it will add any text/links it sees as a comment in the html which I suppose helps, but still nothing very useful.

    According to google, you can put your swf in a div tag with a z-index of 1 which makes it float above the html page so you can put all the text from in the swf underneath it in plain html. This way if someone didn't have flash installed they still get your content which is a nice bonus.

    Personally, I always include a few paragraphs with my most important text outside of my flash file which ensures decent indexing. Also keep in mind that google puts more importance on the quality of sites linking back to your site rather than the content itself so get linked!

    hope that helps
    Evolve Designs Interactive Media
    the natural selection

  3. #3
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    When you say a few paragraphs, are you talking about the meta tags?

  4. #4
    Ryan Thomson EvolveDesigns's Avatar
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    nope just some oldschool html, if you check my site you'll see what i mean, flash at the top, couple paragraphs of crucial text below
    Evolve Designs Interactive Media
    the natural selection

  5. #5
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    But what if your site's done entirely in flash, your site has html content...

  6. #6
    Ryan Thomson EvolveDesigns's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by =RIDDICK=
    But what if your site's done entirely in flash, your site has html content...
    Quote Originally Posted by EvolveDesigns
    According to google, you can put your swf in a div tag with a z-index of 1 which makes it float above the html page so you can put all the text from in the swf underneath it in plain html. This way if someone didn't have flash installed they still get your content which is a nice bonus.
    Evolve Designs Interactive Media
    the natural selection

  7. #7
    trace("AKA: Biro Barna");
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    To optimize a flash web site you should use SWFAddress with SWFObject. With SWFAdress you could build a site map and have all the information loaded into the .swf and at the same time keeping it visible to the search engine... It's not that easy to pull but it's definitely worth the try... Flash is not as good at SEO as basic HTML web sites but there are a few tricks ( like SWFAddress ) that can help you on your way...

    http://www.asual.com/swfaddress/

    Good luck.



    | Windows MSN: birobarna [at] hotmail [dot] com | Skype: barna.biro |
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  8. #8
    flash sites dont allow for any SEO really except for the title tag. If your thinking about using keyword meta tags, I would suggest you dont due to search engines punishing website rank if their keywords found in the meta tag don't appear anywhere on the site. If all your content is with in a .swf file the google bots cant find it and will hurt your rank. You could use a hack system, and input the keywords that your hoping for in the text font color same as your background underneath your .swf file. Put them in an H1 tag too to make google think its more important. To check out some cool seo coding, check out the source code on my site at http://www.icandyunderground.com
    Last edited by FictionKing029; 05-15-2008 at 05:34 PM.

  9. #9
    trace("AKA: Biro Barna");
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    flash sites dont allow for any SEO really except for the title tag.
    You're quite off track, read up before making such affirmations.
    Were are not at Flash 5 anymore...

    To check out some cool seo coding, check out the source code on my site at http://www.icandyunderground.com
    To be honest, your post seems like a cheap attempt of self promotion... It's not even Flash, carry on.



    | Windows MSN: birobarna [at] hotmail [dot] com | Skype: barna.biro |
    WebLog: http://blog.wisebisoft.com/ |
    | Software Developer / Flash & Flex Developer | Student ( Computer Science ) | Interested in: Sharing Knowledge |
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    Romanian Adobe Flash, Flex, AIR Forum: http://www.flashforum.ro/
    | By perseverance the snail reached the ark. |


  10. #10
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    [QUOTE=PlenaryCreation]You're quite off track, read up before making such affirmations.
    Were are not at Flash 5 anymore...

    So is there a way I can optimize a site done entirely in Flash?

  11. #11
    trace("AKA: Biro Barna");
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    Of course it's possible. Check out these two links ( and have fun reading ):

    http://www.asual.com/swfaddress/
    http://blog.deconcept.com/swfobject/

    Good luck.



    | Windows MSN: birobarna [at] hotmail [dot] com | Skype: barna.biro |
    WebLog: http://blog.wisebisoft.com/ |
    | Software Developer / Flash & Flex Developer | Student ( Computer Science ) | Interested in: Sharing Knowledge |
    |
    Romanian Adobe Flash, Flex, AIR Forum: http://www.flashforum.ro/
    | By perseverance the snail reached the ark. |


  12. #12
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    Is there an easier way of doing this, or is this what everyone's doing with their flash sites??

  13. #13
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    Shake'those'gumholes

    Anyone got any gumholes they like to shake?

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