Flash and Splash: The SEO Don’ts

2018

28

Sep
Flash-and-SEO

Although aesthetic websites do attract a lot of attention, you must keep SEO norms in mind while designing your web page. The risk of not doing so is that you might end up creating a superlative web interface that no one can access!


In the given context, two most popular webpage adorning tools, flash and splash, actually need to be given a miss if your wish to optimize your pages for the popular search engines.

 

Why is the Usage of Flash Harmful to SEO?


Flash is indeed pretty and websites that use flash fully can be easily compared to works of art on account of their aesthetic appeal. Although there has been much deliberation about required developments in this domain, for most part, flash remains unrecognizable by major search engines.


Therefore, your well crafted content is likely to remain completely unseen if it is embedded into a Flash-based website. And when search engines cannot see your content, potential customers do not get to see what you have to offer either!


Why are Splash Pages Pointless as Well?


Although they were once extremely popular, Splash is no longer considered a favorable choice for web pages. In fact, splash pages with flash animation are now considered annoying.


To begin with, when you use them, an extra click would be required to enter the actual content. It could be even worse when you do not provide a “skip intro” option because it would end up forcing the visitor to watch the complete animation before they can enter your site!


This would either annoy them or force them to leave the site altogether. And when there is no HTML link provided that leads to your site, the search engines would also be unable to help


What is the way out?


Ideally, a fitting alternative is to make use of a flash header. There would be no problem if the flash animation appears in the header or as a feature included in the content area. This way, your content is search engine friendly and your visitors get the benefit of appealing design elements.