flash - Internet Marketing News and Blogs

Flash sites can be a nightmare from a user experience perspective, so we were surprised by Google's decision this week to begin to indexing content from Flash files (SWF).

One major argument against the use of Flash has been that the major search engines have been unable to effectively index the content contained within these files, so websites using this software have been losing out in the search rankings.

But the main arguments are that Flash sites are often inaccessible and their architects often try to reinvent the wheel, which leads to all manner of user experience nightmares.

Using print advertising to drive traffic to online properties is a great example of integrated marketing.

Except when the consumers can't access the site.

Web developers and businesses continue to develop Flash based websites, despite the well-documented drawbacks in terms of SEO and usability.

When used well, Flash can be a great tool for the presentation of rich content, but pure flash websites, though they may look good, can annoy the hell out of visitors.

After the jump, some reasons why...

Two weeks ago I pondered whether Fjax was the best use of Flash (ever), but having just visited the Bloggerkit homepage I’ve found a superb example of how Flash can be used to communicate a message quickly, in this case ‘what is bloggerkit and how does it work’.

Pure Flash websites are in my view rotten to the very core and often a shimmering example of what not to do, if search engines remotely matter to your business (let’s leave the accessibility / usability issues alone for now).

There are always exceptions, like microsites used to support ad campaigns, but as a rule of thumb Flash should be avoided. Microsites are of course pretty much redundant these days, so perhaps that's a poor example...

When used in chunks, Flash can be a great tool for the presentation of rich content. We use it for our ‘one-minute pitch’. Bloggerkit has prioritised its Flash module – it sits bang in the centre of its homepage, which is valuable page estate, so I reckon it must be working for them. And very good it is too.