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Help me with seo on Flash Navigation website

by jhakasseo
15 replies
  • SEO
    • |
Hello,

I have this new project with me that have flash in it's navigation. hxxp://www.fltcase.com

Please, suggest me do and don'ts for doing SEO on this kind of website.
Will it rank if I do normal SEO?

I never worked on flash navigated website.

Any kind of help would be appreciable..
#flash #navigation #seo #website
  • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
    Perfect example of why not to use Flash. Look at the cached version of the website. Google is not reading the navigation menu at all.
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    • Profile picture of the author jhakasseo
      Originally Posted by MikeFriedman View Post

      Perfect example of why not to use Flash. Look at the cached version of the website. Google is not reading the navigation menu at all.
      Yeah I just saw this. What you recommend to do now?
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  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    That flash nav. can be a good thing If your doing link sculpting but your need regular HTML hyperlinks for the links you care about.

    Like Mike said, look at the Google Cache (text version), that's the page that matters.

    You can get a web developer plugin for firefox (free) that will simulate a Google Cache (text version).

    Download the browser plugin.
    • Disable all javascript
    • Disable all images
    • Disable all styles
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    • Profile picture of the author jinx1221
      I have to disagree. They can read links and pretty much everything else from flash swf's:

      https://support.google.com/webmaster...er/72746?hl=en

      Googlebot can index almost any text a user can see as they interact with any Flash SWF file on your site, and can use that text to generate a snippet or match query terms in Google searches. Additionally, Googlebot can also discover URLs in SWF files (for example, links to other pages on your site) and follow those links.
      Been using flash for years, some sites built entirely with flash. The Text-only version of cached pages are just showing you the html based text they are reading. That doesn't mean they can't read or index/follow anything else on the page.
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      • Profile picture of the author jhakasseo
        Originally Posted by jinx1221 View Post

        I have to disagree. They can read links and pretty much everything else from flash swf's:

        https://support.google.com/webmaster...er/72746?hl=en



        Been using flash for years, some sites built entirely with flash. The Text-only version of cached pages are just showing you the html based text they are reading. That doesn't mean they can't read or index/follow anything else on the page.
        what about on-page meta tag optimization? I dont think they will have different files for each pages.
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        • Profile picture of the author jinx1221
          Originally Posted by jhakasseo View Post

          what about on-page meta tag optimization? I dont think they will have different files for each pages.
          You optimize the meta tags and other html based things in the html itself. The swf gets embedded in the html page (like you would a youtube vid). Whatever else you want to do with what's outside of the <body> tags are up to you. Or use both html and swf's in the <body> as well. Whatever you want to do
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          • Profile picture of the author jhakasseo
            But do you really think it will rank compare to normal website.
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      • Profile picture of the author yukon
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        Originally Posted by jinx1221 View Post

        I have to disagree. They can read links and pretty much everything else from flash swf's:

        https://support.google.com/webmaster...er/72746?hl=en



        Been using flash for years, some sites built entirely with flash. The Text-only version of cached pages are just showing you the html based text they are reading. That doesn't mean they can't read or index/follow anything else on the page.
        I stand corrected, I do see OPs flash nav. menu (text) indexed in Google SERPs (screenshot below).
        • hxxp://www.fltcase.com/fameid_menu.swf

        I would still like to see proof that those URLs in the flash are being crawled the same as regular HTML.

        If Google claims they treat flash like a regular web page (HTML) then why don't they have a cache for the flash nav page? Even a pdf file can have a cache.

        If that OP site was mine I wouldn't expect it to behave like an HTML site as far as internal links.

        Also, If that flash nav link text is showing up in Google SERP description, it looks like an extremely easy way to stuff keywords, hide the keywords in flash.

        I've used flash by pulling content from remote xml files, still that's basically plain text file, you can open an xml file in any text editor (Notepad, Notepad++, etc...). If I had to use flash it would be done with the xml file, plus that xml file makes edits as simple as editing a text file, no clumsy flash to mess with. I still wouldn't expect on-page flash links to be able to pass PR or anything.






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        • Profile picture of the author jinx1221
          Originally Posted by yukon View Post

          If Google claims they treat flash like a regular web page (HTML) then why don't they have a cache for the flash nav page? Even a pdf file can have a cache.
          Probably because what they read from the swf would just display a bunch of nonsensical code that they'd rather nobody see. A pdf they display actually has something a normal person can read.

          Also, If that flash nav link text is showing up in Google SERP description, it looks like an extremely easy way to stuff keywords, hide the keywords in flash.
          Though of that

          Thought against that too, since they can read text they can also tell if you're keyword stuffing.. even if you had a million keywords inside a little 50x50 picture of a puppy, they can see. They see all and know all. Or at least thats my paranoia. Someone here should try it and let us know what happens!


          I've used flash by pulling content from remote xml files, still that's basically plain text file, you can open an xml file in any text editor (Notepad, Notepad++, etc...). If I had to use flash it would be done with the xml file, plus that xml file makes edits as simple as editing a text file, no clumsy flash to mess with.
          That's an excellent way to do it, I'm a huge fan of efficiency I just dont know how necessary it is for SEO purposes anymore. There was a time that, yeah, they absolutely couldn't read swf content, links, nothing. Pure junk on the SEO side. Things are different now.

          I still wouldn't expect on-page flash links to be able to pass PR or anything.
          Why not? Don't they follow or pass pr through non-html links like java links? Or bbcode links? There's probably not very much in the proof department because backlink pr software isn't able to read anything besides html afaik. I don't know, honestly, do they follow links within Pdf's? They might treat those different saying that they're more document based. But I don't see any reason why they would treat a link in a swf any different than one written in html.. lots of flash navigation links out there, they can't really just ignore them.
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          • Profile picture of the author yukon
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            Originally Posted by jinx1221 View Post

            Probably because what they read from the swf would just display a bunch of nonsensical code that they'd rather nobody see. A pdf they display actually has something a normal person can read.
            I doubt that's the reason considering most pages with nav links look like a bunch of random text/links on the cache (text version).







            Originally Posted by jinx1221 View Post

            Why not? Don't they follow or pass pr through non-html links like java links? Or bbcode links? There's probably not very much in the proof department because backlink pr software isn't able to read anything besides html afaik. I don't know, honestly, do they follow links within Pdf's? They might treat those different saying that they're more document based. But I don't see any reason why they would treat a link in a swf any different than one written in html.. lots of flash nav's out there, they can't really just ignore them.
            Javascript isn't something I would want to use for passing link juice, it's actually something I would use for link sculpting. Javascript is one of those things that can have 100 different ways to code a link/content, it can be as simple or complex as you want. It's not a good idea for expecting Google to follow those types of links.

            Example, check out dafont.com nav links, they don't show on the Google cache (text version), compare the live web page to the cache.

            Actually they can ignore links, like complex javascript links.
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            • Profile picture of the author jinx1221
              Originally Posted by yukon View Post

              Javascript isn't something I would want to use for passing link juice, it's actually something I would use for link sculpting. Javascript is one of those things that can have 100 different ways to code a link/content, it can be as simple or complex as you want. It's not a good idea for expecting Google to follow those types of links.

              Actually they can ignore links, like complex javascript links.
              I hear ya

              So, if you are setting up your own network and want to direct pr flow through them, it would be silly to make links in flash or java. That would be kind of gambling on undefinite factors.. with html you know what you're getting. But for your own navigation on your own site, if you are worried someone might not find an inner page via google search because of your flash nav links, I wouldn't really worry about it
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              • Profile picture of the author pritikris
                Websites need search visibility to be popular on the web and flash websites. Flash elements on a website were unreadable by search engine crawlers, so better use jquery.
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                • Profile picture of the author jinx1221
                  Originally Posted by pritikris View Post

                  Websites need search visibility to be popular on the web and flash websites. Flash elements on a website were unreadable by search engine crawlers, so better use jquery.
                  No they're not, we've established that. Get off stupid jquery already. Alright, screw it, gonna throw my Flash MX away and learn jquery now, no big deal.. :rolleyes:
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  • Profile picture of the author Sirr
    Personally, I'd get rid of that navigation menu and create one using HTML. If you want the same type of effects you can use jQuery as already suggested, or you can redesign the navigation. It's not going to impact customers because you've changed the navigation ... so long as it's accessible and usable, and you'll make it much easier for Search Engines.

    Flash is excellent for games, but I'd disagree with anyone who says Flash is the way forward for websites. It's generally only those who have stuck with Flash that would spout this type of drivel. No offence intended of course. With jQuery and other libraries there's very little use for Flash in web development.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bannaz
    It would be better to use a HTML navigation instead of flash.

    You can keep your header as flash, but re-work the navigation below it.
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