Flash now indexed by Google Options

[3rdeye5]

As was mentioned on WebmasterWorld forum, Google is now able to index Flash files.
For example, try a search on "help filetype:swf".

Some files only get an URL without a description, but many do have a snippet clearly taken from the Flash itself.

Ewald

[stripey]

that's quite cool though iI can't say its going to change my views on the use of Flash. :roll:

[rustybrick]

How is this different then 3 months ago?

[3rdeye5]

As far as I knew, Google wasn't able to index Flash. Perhaps it was?
I haven't heard anything else until now than "don't use Flash, cause it won't be indexed."

Ewald

[rustybrick]

They have been able to report on backlinks from some flash files. I have seen swf's in the index for some time now.

[glyn]

I've had swf's in Google for well over a year so no news there.

However, I think that probably what's happened is that Google has now managed to look inside a flash file at the content and crawl/rank it accordingly. Which I suppose is good, but as I use Flash for menu items, it's a pretty redundant "feature" unless you fancy seing one of my menu's at full screen.

I suppose someone will find a use for it

Glyn.

[stripey]

that's it exactly glynn.

before google could follow the links around, now they can read the actual copy as well.

[rustybrick]

Sorry, maybe I am missing something. Can you show me where in this example is Google reading the flash contents and ranking it accordingly?

[3rdeye5]

Rustybrick - Do the Google search from my post at the start of this thread. You'll see soon enough in the snippets that they come from the Flash files themselves.

[Added:]
Title: " Loading. Please wait. SKIP BACK "
Title: " 0% LOADING 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%"
Title: " Loading... w w w . I N s a n i t y c l u b . c o m To help you"

These titles can only come from the Flash, no?


Ewald

[3rdeye5]

As for Flash files ranking in normal searches now, I tried to get one of the Flash pages to pop up. It does, with a Google search on "Kingdom Ceramics enter". (Position 5.)

Ewald

[rustybrick]

I see, it is actually reading the flash binary some how.

Thanks.

[s3rg3ybr1n]

And why are not ALL the swf files text read?

There are some files whose text is not read....

[3rdeye5]

Perhaps they haven't had time to index them all yet. After all, reading Flash files is probably heavier on their computing power than reading HTML.

Ewald

[glyn]

Or, just like in HTML there are 100 ways to show text to visitors. Google is probably only gonna crawl the really basic "standard format" text within a movie file.

Glyn.

[Jens]

I'd read before that Google was able to 'index' swf files. I feel that this new feature really doesn't change the function of Flash as good spider food. One of the sites I work on is just about all Flash, except for a HTML skeleton I've constructed to remind the search engines that we have lots of good content.

I've seen quite an explosion of search engine hits from google by offering links to PDFs & DOCs. I don't get lots of hits from a specific search phrase, just a boatload of them from all sorts of search strings. I have not seen an explosion of hits from Google pointing people directly at the SWF files. It does happen occasionally from looking at my AWstats, but it's quite infrequent, and since the site uses subloading swf's, the files aren't meant to be viewed on their own.

If you want to investigate what I'm saying, the www.holistickids.org homepage has both Flash and HTML content. Do a search for "snappy load times" and we're #1 of 3. Try plugging in filetype:swf and searching for some of the content in swf files - you end up with results that aren't usable and don't include HolisticKids. The only way to get direct linking to the swf files is if you have the filename right - try MAINtoolbox.swf for example. So at this point in time I suppose Flash content now pushes a tiny bit of weight instead of nothing, but it's still a world away from honest HTML content.