Google Can Index Flash, But Should You Use It?
Many web designers like to use Macromedia Flash when designing their website because it is cool and can say allot in a small space. For years we have been telling people to hold off on using flash due to the fact that SE’s can’t read what is in your flash files. Well now that is partly true. Google can read into your flash files and index your content, but only if you have the SDK.
The SDK (Software Development Kit) includes an application named `swf2html’. Swf2html extracts text and links from a Macromedia Flash .SWF file, and returns the data to stdout or as an HTML document. Swf2html is provided as a compiled application and as a static library for linked library implementation. So should you jump on the flash bandwagon?
Don’t Do It!
While Google may be able to read your flash, every other search engine still can not. Secondly, for Google to read the content in the flash they have to call up another file to read the information which they may or may not do. It is more beneficial to have all of your content on 1 page verses in a flash file.
We still recommend that you stay away from flash unless it represents only a small visual element on the page. Never use flash period.