What is a Flash Movie?

A flash movie, or shock wave file (SWF), is the file format published when a Flash movie is exported. A SWF file will also be exported by many alternative Macromedia or Adobe Products. The SWF is typically an animation, dynamic menu, or highly interactive internet-primarily based application embedded into an HTML page. Flash files, when exported properly for the most effective web-primarily based optimization, are compressed, so making their file size lightweight. The SWF format is ideal for presenting vector-based mostly, interactive and animated graphics with sound and video for the web. Vector images are ideal as a result of they can not “pixilize” if stretched or compressed. Flash files can also contain text which will be animated, static or dynamically populated from external sources, such an XML file or a database. Text embedded in an exceedingly Flash file, for several years, might not be browse by search engines. But, recent updates by Macromedia are making this a possibility.

Issues with Flash and Search Engines

Traditionally, it has been difficult to induce Flash content indexed and ranked by search engines. Within the past, search engines, like Yahoo and Google, didn’t spider Flash content as they may not browse the compressed file and abundant of the text inside the SWF appeared as graphics to the search engines.

The main page of a net web site, if Flash-based, rarely ranked well, unless off-page factors like link popularity or link reputation were sufficient enough to carry the page. Flash files that were indexed by Google, Lycos and alternative search engines, that failed to have any text or key words related to them in the search engine results pages (SERP).

Techniques Utilized in the Past to Build Flash Visible to Search Engines

Ancient Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques would facilitate your website get indexed, however not rank for search terms. Each web web site wants at least one HTML page to load into a browser. For a net website developed utterly in Flash, developers would embed their flash files into an HTML document and then produce the meta tags in the top section of the HTML file. They would conjointly add descriptive HTML text for the search engines in the body section of the HTML page, then use CSS positioning and percentages to load the Flash move in an exceedingly pixel-good location over the high of text. This explicit technique should not be used any further, as search engines can view this method as an attempt to feature hidden text, and hidden text can incur a penalty from the engines.

Another technique which may facilitate your Flash ranking is to not compress your SWF files. One of the explanations search engines may not scan flash files in the past is {that the} files are compressed. If the SWF is uncompressed, search engines will scan the static text. This technique will be accomplished easily. Upon exporting a Flash file, you’ll set the compression to “not” if you want your text inside the Flash movie to be readable by the search spiders. However, this is often not a smart follow, as not compressing your SWF can increase the file size, consequently negating a major benefit to Flash file – a light-weight file.

What Macromedia has Done to Build Flash A lot of Visible to Search Engines

In the past, Google did index Flash files. Anyone will take a look at this truth out by looking in Google using the “filetype” operator to restrict your search. As an example, strive the following search: “Casino Games filetype:SWF”. The SERP will include over two hundred Flash files, which are indicated by the “Flash” text to the left of the listing.

Some search engines are now using the Macromedia Flash Search Engine SDK (Software Development Kit). For example, Google, AllTheWeb, Lycos, and different sites will readily display links to Flash content. Flash Search SDK is and open source tool that permits search engines to switch it to suit their needs. With this level of customization, it is probably that the foremost search engines will modify SDK, creating it tough for website house owners to understand exactly what info will be pulled out of the SWF file or how it will impact actual rankings.

The Macromedia Flash Search Engine SDK can be found at

http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/download/search_engine. In step with the Macromedia/Adobe internet web site, The SDK includes an application named ’swf2HTML’. Swf2HTML extracts text and links from a Macromedia Flash SWF file, and returns the information to an HTML document. Swf2HTML is provided as a compiled application and as a static library for linked library implementation. SDK will interoperate any links that are in the action script thus long as adhere to the subsequent criteria:

• The link is contained inside single quotes (‘ ‘) or double quotes (” “), and
• The link prefix is HTTP, and
• The link suffix is HTM, HTML, CFM, SWF, JPG, JPEG, MP3, or WAV

By default SDK extracts the subsequent text from your flash file:

• Text on stage in the current movie (dynamic text, static text, or input text that has an initial price assigned)

• Text on stage in a movie that’s referred to as with movieClip.attachMovie()

Google can see certain text in Flash files now, but how and where sure text gets extracted depends on what you do with that text within the Flash presentation. For example, text that’s static or is utilized in a motion tween can be scan as one instance with SDK. However, some animation involves converting text into a image and then using multiple copies of that symbol to realize a desired effect. This can produce duplicate instances of your text to the SDK output, that may be viewed as duplicate content and not given much importance by Google.

Using the SDK tool, any developer will get the text output from the SWF and see how search engines view the extractable text of any SWF. On a Windows operating system, you’ll be able to head to the DOS prompt and execute the swf2HTML application very easily. The subsequent is an example from the DOS prompt: C:sdkswf2HTML -o test.HTML C:sdkcrt_webfilestest.swf

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Techniques Used Historically for Flash
Every Flash file will not want to be uploaded independently and known as as a SWF file; rather a Flash file can be embedded in a customary HTML document. One in all the best techniques is to make a modular net site, where there are plenty of Flash files which create up the net page combined with normal HTML elements. A hybrid web site like this, works especially well, if your navigation uses traditional HTML links. You’ll be able to use cascading vogue sheets to convey the appearance of flash text links. This type of hybrid web site can perpetually rank higher than an all Flash website – all other factors being equal. It is also necessary to own your HTML page title correct, irrespective of something else. Many search engines study meta titles first. In addition to the page title, you’ll add meta tags to the top of the file. Outside of the actual HTML page, off page factors are important. There was a lot of written in recent articles that reciprocal links don’t seem to be as important to any extent further, however actually, one-manner links pointing to your site from highly relevant and high ranking pages can increase your page rank. Additionally links from prominent directories, like Yahoo and Business.com, placed in the most relevant categories will help. One-approach inbound links from relevant sites continues to be the most effective way to increase your ranking with or while not Flash.

There are programming techniques that work whereas in the Flash authoring environment. Whereas you’re in the Flash authoring atmosphere, together with your FLA open…click F12. It will generate the HTML page for you. Have a look at the code of the page; it creates an area for you to place the text and URL’s used in the Flash.

New SEO Techniques for Flash
Today there are a number of techniques that will overcome the limitations of the past, where Flash files are concerned. With the inception of the new Macromedia Flash eight, there are techniques that can be implemented to greatly increase the power of search engines to index Flash files and even rank for key words.

In the past, SWF files may not have titles. This can be one important reason why Flash files didn’t rank well. This title limitation has now changed. Flash eight does permit you to input meta data. Flash eight defines two fields with meta information for all Flash files. These two fields are Title and Description. You’ll be able to access the meta knowledge fields under Document Properties. To feature meta data, fill within the text fields and also the search engines will apprehend what data to show about your Flash file.

SDK is fairly intelligent in terms of recognizing text and links that are embedded in the file. If text is static or dynamically driven by an XML or text file, it will be read. If your content is dynamically driven it must be done therefore using the most recent version of ActionScript 2.0. The SDK does parse ActionScript two byte code looking for links. It might conceivably realize the link to the XML file that way and hand it back to a research engine.

As referenced earlier, certain text will be changed into a symbol instead of strait text. For example, a button might have the text output 2 or 3 times. Alternatively, tweened text has motion associated with the action. Tweens end in one prevalence within the output from the extraction process. You should also notice {that the} link text within the Google results page is clone of the first couple of lines of text at the terribly high of the text extracted by swf2HTML. Armed with the data of how SDK parses your content, you’ll manipulate text in your Flash Movies more rigorously and create your content key word dense, simply indexable, search engine friendly and, with a little more ability, even optimized.

What is the gist of all this? Flash is still not the best resolution for a pure SEO-based mostly project, however their have been big leaps forward by each the search engines and Macromedia in permitting your flash files to be indexed and even rank for the key word phrases you covet.

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Do you want to stay ahead of the pack in the race for the top Google rankings? Visit: increase web traffic. With increase web traffic you can quickly and easily get first spot on Google every day, without wasting another dollar ever again! Start increase web traffic, time for you to be first on Google!

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