Google Indexes Flash Websites

Up until now, Flash has been almost completely invisible to search engines. Anyone who desired to have their flash website show up in the first SERP, would probably have to rely on cloaking. However, most webmasters steered completely away from flash if they were trying to create any type of search engine results. Until today on the Google Webmaster Blog, Google announced their increased ability to index Flash files. 

Just Exactly How Did They Do It?

Ron Adler and Janis Stipins, from Google's indexing software engineer team stated: "We've developed an algorithm that explores Flash files in the same way that a person would, by clicking buttons, entering input, and so on. Our algorithm remembers all of the text that it encounters along the way, and that content is then available to be indexed." 

What Can Be Index And What Are The Limitations?

Adler and Stipins further stated that, "We've improved our ability to index textual content in SWF files of all kinds. This includes Flash "gadgets" such as buttons or menus, self-contained Flash websites, and everything in between."  In addition, it was further discussed that all non-textual content such as images would remain unable to be indexed. There are three main limitations at this point:

Adobe Teams Up With Google and Yahoo To Enhance The Indexing of Flash File Format

In a separate release Adobe announced in the Adobe Press Room that they would be teaming up with Google and Yahoo by providing them "optimized Adobe® Flash® Player technology to enhance search engine indexing of the Flash file format (SWF)." Google has stated that they have already started implementing the technology into their search and that there will be no addition modifications needed by webmasters.

Adobe stated that, "Yahoo! also expects to deliver improved Web search capabilities for SWF applications in a future update to Yahoo! Search. “Yahoo! is committed to supporting webmaster needs with plans to support searchable SWF and is working with Adobe to determine the best possible implementation,” said Sean Suchter, vice president Yahoo! Search Technology Engineering."

But the main point of confusion for most of us is where is Microsoft in all of this? Did the opt-out of this project or were they left out? Adobe stated that they will broaden this capability later on to accommodate, "all content publishers, developers and end users." But what exactly does that mean? It will be interesting to watch in the coming days for more information, but one thing for certain is that this will just be one more factor that will leave Microsoft sitting in the number three spot of search engines.

Is There A Future For Flash Search Engine Optimization?

I am going to have to say, "NO." But that is probably due to my years of preaching to just stay away from it. "I know it looks pretty, but in the long run it will get you no where," is what I would tell my clients. But the more thought I give to it, the search engines obviously make the rules for their search engines. So if the big G wants to rank Flash websites, they will and perhaps it will spawn great changes for us all to adapt to.