The debate over Flash and its role in search engine optimisation has waged for quite some time now, and it is no different in the office.

Yes

“I would say yes to Flash, it can do heaps to enhance a website branding after all once you have a customer to your site you want them to be impressed and spend time on it. But there are some conditions, splash pages are a big no no and websites that take an age to load up- not good. So for me just a few wee ‘flashy’ touches here and there can really bring site to life without too much impact on an SEO campaign.” Laura

“I think that it depends on what the purpose of your site is that can identify how much or how little Flash is appropriate. Mobile phone sites and car sites are a great example of how Flash can intensify user experience by simple giving users more in terms of style and information. The obvious drawback is the loading time, but I personally feel on the large that it is well worth waiting for. Flash can be so sleek and seamless and can add a touch of quality and professionalism that I feel the web sometimes lacks.” Pamela

No

“As Laura suggests, some Flash “touches here and there” can really help a websites visual appeal. There are some warnings to heed though, while Google has been working to improve it’s understanding of flash content, there are still  major issue’s with indexing Flash content. Further to the SEO implications, all flash designs tend to be fraught with usability & accessibility issues.

All in all, by all means use flash for design elements of a site but steer clear of over utilising it for primary content & navigation. Don’t let your web designer get too carried away in their Flash design, ultimately your website is there to drive your business. Not showcase the designers Flash skills.

As a matter of course, when considering Flash, first ask yourself two questions:

1)    Is Flash is the only technique available to achieve the desired effect?
2)    Is the use of Flash warranted for your target audience?

If the answer to either of those is “No”, then you might want to re-consider.” Andrew

Search Engine Optimization Technology Center

Adobe has certainly upped the ante with the launch of their Search Engine Optimisation Technology Centre in a bid to persuade us all that Flash isn’t so bad as we are (rightly or wrongly, we’ll let you decide) led to believe. The website aims to explain what the challenges of using Flash are, providing practical steps, examples, and best practices that you can follow to overcome them.

“Ensuring that search engines can crawl and index your rich Internet applications (RIAs)—so that your content can be found by others—is of critical importance to building and maintaining an online presence. While Adobe and the leading search engines are making significant strides in making SWF content more searchable, you can take additional steps now to improve your search ranking positions further.” Adobe

The website is chock a block full of content and useful articles aimed at providing guidance to developers looking to create some search engine friendly Flash. This is definatley a positive step towards making Flash more accessible, providing web developers take the time to follow the guidelines set out by Adobe and Google.