Flash entry page

[Alohahosts.com]

Hi, I am new to the forums.

I have designed several websites, and the owners insist on having a flash intro page. But it seems as though the search engine listings have dropped since I have added the flash entry page.

Is this something that the engines don't like?

The pages are loaded with the meta tags, but there is no content other than the flash movie.

Would it be better to have a content rich entry page, and have a link to the movie?

Any advice?

Thanks

[Advisor]

Would it be better to have a content rich entry page, and have a link to the movie?Absolutely!

The search engines need to see text to know how to properly categorize any site. Flash movies give them nothing to read.

Good luck!

Jill

[MsSearch]

Search engines definitely like content...it is one of the most important aspects of a website when it comes to search engines and rankings.

...and welcome to the forums :hi: Alohahosts

[markymark]

If your clients want a flash intro, then give them the damn thing - for human visitors with flash installed. Otherwise direct everyone else (including search engine spiders) to the plain html page, then everyone's happy.............. except me, as I do have Flash installed, but don't want to see another Flash intro page as long as I live.

[Advisor]

LOL, Mark! Sounds like it's time to uninstall your Flash player!

J

[Alohahosts.com]

Thanks for the advice !

I agree with markymark... I could do without flash for as long as I live as well.


So now I am creating a new index page... content rich, meta tag optimized and title tag perfect..

wish me luck!

Karen

[ihelpyou]

Welcome to the forums Alohahosts.com! :hi:

Be careful when you say 'optimized tags' as that is pretty much useless. You should say 'optimized content' as that is all that is important these days. :)

[markymark]

I would uninstall my Flash player, but there's some good flash stuff out there. IMO, it really is time that the search engines got their s**t together and figured out a way to index this stuff. It really can't be that difficult.

However, in the meantime, static html is the best thing for the search engines.

[qdebruin]

Originally posted by markymark
it really is time that the search engines got their s**t together and figured out a way to index this stuff.

Hi Mark,

Rumour has it you can get flash indexed, but personally I have not tried it, we constantly get requests from clients to have Flash intro's - try talking someone out of it when they are convinced it's a good thing!!!!!!!!!!!

For your info:
The strategy involves using an absolute positioning technique called Z Order within your Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

Later
Q

[Matt B]

Supposedly the new Flash MX is able to be indexed from the database content that is included in the movie. Our designers are playing around with it right now.

Flash MX has features that allow the information to be updated from an administrative-type database interface. Charts, text, graphs, etc., can now be updated on the fly.

I am not sure this is a good thing yet. I am skeptical about anything Flash. As I learn more about the indexable abilities of the MX version, I will let everyone know. I hate the use of Flash as much as the next guy, but we have clients that demand it.

[ihelpyou]

And those same clients who demand flash don't realize that "their" own clients don't like flash and don't like to go to a page and sit through a flash movie, especially if it is an 'intro' page to the site. Most users will tell you they hate flash intros. :)

[Matt B]

Oh, exactly, and we do our best to discourage it or to place it in a benign context. But we get those few who heard it is the "killer app" and they run with it, obviously without much knowledge about it or the web. If they are absolutley insistent upon it, with our objections noted, we work around it so that we can provide the intro without hurting the user experience (as much as we can.)

[Advisor]

I know it might sound kind of arrogant, but I don't let my clients insist on anything any more. If they're not willing to do what it takes to create what I think is a great site and great rankings, then they can go find a "yes-man" instead.

But I'm not a designer, so I'm sure the issues are a bit different.

Basically I feel that I can't optimize a site with my hands tied, however. You wouldn't ask your plumber to fix your pipes with his hands tied, would you?

Jill the arrogant! :thebomb:

[Matt B]

HA HA! :p

Jill come work with me for a few. The SEO's are outnumbered by the artists. But I think we could take them in a fight.

I have had to work with both the artists and the programmers to come up with ways to implement SE friendly programming. It has been good, but definitely a learning process. I have had to overcome a natural aversion to frames, but I really like them now(to some degree). I can now boast about the fact that none other of our regional competitors (ad agencies included) design sites that are SE friendly from the start. Every new client we get has had to undergo SE "surgery" on their website.

It has advantages to have programmers and designers around me. But yes, it has some disadvantages (very little) - e.g., I can't tell a client to take a flying leap.

[Advisor]

Matt, your situation reminds me of when I did some consulting at a NYC ad agency last year.

I gave a two or three hour presentation on everything you had to do to ensure you had search engine friendly pages, and when all was said and done, they basically just said, "We can't do that." and that was the end of it!

There were definitely a few people in the group that "got it" and wanted to convince the others that it was worth doing what I was suggesting, or at least trying to implement some of it, but for the most part, they believed their big brand customers would never go for it.

Thankfully, they paid me anyway. :D

Jill

[Matt B]

Heh, I love ad agencies - they are our best source of clients.