It has been a long-running argument whether or not Flash is feasible to use on websites. While it provides glitz and glamour to web pages, so to speak, it can defeat SEO purposes because 1.) it will take dial up or modem users forever to load even a single all-Flash page, 2.) Flash content is typically impenetrable by Search Engine spiders, and 3.) Usability suffers greatly.

Note: This is a discussion based on all-Flash websites.

At this age of DSL, Cable, and T1 connectivity in usual places and even in common households, a surprising fact remains: many Internet users still utilize dial up connections and modems to surf the Web. Flash files “ particularly those that have sound effects, bitmap images, and/or videos added to them “ need a tremendous amount of bandwidth when loading. To make matters worse, there is also the issue that the average surfer will want your information right when and where they try to access it (enter text readers); granted of course that their machines havent already crashed from the stress of accommodating the huge files.

Okay, Flash files are not completely impenetrable by Search Engines. At best, however, the actual indexing will still be imperfect. While you can add Meta Information to a Shockwave Flash File (SWF) for detection by Search Engines, your hard work (or money, for those who hire third party services) will still more or less be for nothing in a comprehensive Search Engine Optimization point of view. Plus, you simply cant keep building links for a site that has its contents included within the Flash file “ its just a mismatch of gargantuan proportions in Search Marketing.

Finally, most people say that if there is a thing most affected by Flash on the Web, its Usability. Take for example the all-Flash Introduction or Home page that we have all bumped into once or twice. It might be pretty and catchy, but once the animation is over and your awe begins to fade, you are then faced with the challenge of finding out how to start navigating. Flash forces you to be intelligent, and to think that every Web surfer is intelligent is one of the worst assumptions an Internet Marketer can make. Some Flash developers who believe they are clever by disabling the Back and Forward buttons actually dont make any difference “ users can simply click the third most important part of any browser, the X button on the upper right.

Flash isnt necessarily evil, it is the developer that utilize it who should be more conscientious about what hes doing. After all, it is the misuse of the technology “ not the technology itself “ that is bad. In addition, Flash content is perhaps most advisable when displaying directions/maps, providing virtual tours, and constructing portfolio sites. For business purposes, however, one good workaround is to set-up an HTML version of an all-Flash site; and, say, include a link to it as an alternative on the Introduction page or as a one-way footer. HTML and Flash can definitely work together, with the latter used minimally (e.g., on banner ads and/or headers). This way, Search Engines will still have a grand time combing your website and human visitors will have additional eye-candy to look at.