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flash and google?

Flash indexing

         

antipodes

3:56 am on Nov 23, 2003 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Hi all
I'm wondering how the status is for Google indexing Flash websites? Where can I get the lowdown on this?

Thx

Chris_D

10:04 am on Nov 27, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



BigDave - I'm with you. I don't hate the tool per se - I hate the results of inappropriate use of the tool. I cringe exactly the same way when I see a mechanic who used a 4lb hammer, where a 3/8in ring spanner would have been a much more appropriate choice of tool.

Donquixote wrote

1) A well-designed Flash site will look the same in every visitor's browser, regardless of their browser or monitor setting, or available fonts on the client machine.

Don - if you are serious - you really need to do some research on accessibility, and usability

Your well designed flash site is an unloaded blank screen on my Lynx browser. Whats Lynx? Whats Amaya?

Seriously - if you aren't just pulling our chains - you need to start reading some of the W3C stuff e.g.

[w3.org...]

Or don't.

: )

Chris_D

Josefu

10:17 am on Nov 27, 2003 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Whoa. I totally agree with the hate generated against flash because of those who misuse or badly design it, and often for reasons irrelevant to navigation/information. But still, though 90% of 'flash designers' earn their cash in bowing to their clients' desire to have an intro page as flashy as a Superbowl half-time TV ad, there is still that 10% who uses flash to an effective end. I hope I am one of them.

Bravo to Google for searching out the links in Flash content, at least that way the spiders can find their way through a Flash site even if it still can't, aside from the title of a page, tell what's in it. Too bad for the text contained in a movie - is this coming anytime soon? I've asked this several times before here I believe : )

Anyhow, because of many of the problems mentioned here, my site is now a hybrid Flash/HTML and pure HTML mix though I had a hell of a time doing it.

Oh, and very good point about the 'unwired' and plug-in-less browsers. Many asked to change ANYTHING from their 'normal' browsing habits just leave.

donquixote

5:39 pm on Nov 27, 2003 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Thanks for the heads up, Chris.

Perhaps I should rephrase myself: "A well-designed Flash layout will look the same in every browser THAT SUPPORTS FLASH." Obviously, browsers that don't, won't see the same thing.

Since my own website is devoted to illustration and animation, it makes little sense for me to support a text-based browser. Hence, your blank screen.

I appreciate the guidance, though. One of the main reasons I signed up for this forum was to learn. And, see? I'm already learning to keep my mouth shut :-)

antipodes

2:00 am on Nov 28, 2003 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Our two main gripes with flash are:

(a) load times too long
(b) search engine spidering

I'm working on a site at the moment built entirely in flash. From the main (home) page I load all my movie clips *into location* onto that main page. Within the loaded into movieclip I have a bass and drum track looping ten times, and images of bikes, a scrolling system for text in a small space, and 5 links. In total size this is 64k. My point is it is possible if you know what u r doing to keep file size down and load external files into location to load a part at a time.

If anyone wants the addy sticky me to see the load times on this site.

(b)...this client will utilise literally hundreds of highly relevant link partners or inbound links on offer and will not need a search engine. The market is local (as is often the case anyway) and SE have no usefulness in this case.

Besides, I could never have achieved the look and feel of this site without using Flash.

Cheers to you all at christmas fast approaching!

tbear

3:25 am on Nov 28, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



>>I have heard a lot of talk about accessibility
Errmmm, I believe visitors with sight deficiensies would have some problems with flash only sites.

(>>And, see? I'm already learning to keep my mouth shut :-) - ROTFL)

coolcreep

8:46 am on Nov 28, 2003 (gmt 0)



Brett..that is funny.

GoogleGuy even had to respond.

Well gotta go... gone looking for a search engine to
give me results;-)

Hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving!

I'm busy closing pop ups now from searching that new
google engine for keyword "thanksgiving"

Peace you guys!

nakulgoyal

12:26 am on Dec 4, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



coolcreep, if you are busy closing popups, better use Google Toolbar coz it'll kill all popups. :-)

Anyways, I read somewhere that Google only indexed first 101k of your page. If that page has a 150k Flash as someone said back in the forums, is it read? I agree that we can read a half HTML, but It's impossible to read a half SWF I feel.

What happens there GoogleGuy?

hutcheson

1:46 am on Dec 13, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



What I heard was, "Google doesn't INDEX flash"...so it sort of doesn't matter what words are in there, only the links will be picked out.

The real question, I suppose, is, "does the 101K limit count unindexable sequences, or are the unindexable sequences discarded before the indexing proper begins?"

For a 150K Flashblock, there really ISN'T any indexable content -- links are plucked out and followed, but there's no anchor text.

cothrun

6:12 am on Dec 27, 2003 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Within the loaded into movieclip I have a bass and drum track looping ten times, ...

That is one of my gripes with Flash pages. I'm often listening to music while I'm surfing the web. My music. While I'm listening to my music I don't want to hear your music.

Besides, your music sucked when it was a MIDI back in 1996 and it sucks now when its compressed down to a decent size to load on my broadband connection.

(Not that your drum and bass sucks antipodes, its probably quite similar to what I'm listening to but the point is I didn't want to hear it.)

humpo

11:36 am on Dec 27, 2003 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



When a site gives a choice between flash and html i always go for the html version.
Given the opportunity i always skip the intro.
All i’m interested in is the content, and i want it to be easy to find and fast to get to.

I leave most flash sites instantly due to past experience of them. Hardly ever find what i want, or have to go through some quirky navigation to get to it, then have to start scrolling to read what’s there, thats if the choice of colours, blinking images and sound don’t put me off.

Some html sites are just as bad but i don’t have to install plug-ins or wait for them to load.



Continued
[webmasterworld.com...]

[edited by: Marcia at 3:35 am (utc) on May 3, 2004]

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