do you advise for or against this type of SEO workaround? 2

[jasonindus]

hi,

my client's site is built entirely in flash, but they'd told me that the developer produced dynamic html pages that are served when spiders search the site. this sounds to me like cloaking and can get the client banned. either way they don't seem to be up there in search engine results and having run seo analysis their site is practically invisible.

i told the client that i'd speak to the developer and report my findings to consult on which way to go. here's what the developer said. before i go back to the client i would like to rely on the valid feeback offered by this forum...

Your IP has been added to the list of spiders so that you can now view the HTML version of the site. As you can see this is plain html that represents the text content of the various sections of the site.

The following process is followed in order to adjudge wether to serve the HTML version or the full flash version of the site.

The IP address of the originating request is checked and if there is a strong match with known spider ip addresses and names ( taken from the lists published here:

http://www.iplists.com/nw/

and updated monthly) then the system serves the pages as pure html text without any Flash: these pages have meta info (titles, descriptions and keywords) that is configured by the client within the CMS.

If there is not a match then the system serves either pure XML to the flash movie or in the case of the user arriving at the site or from a deep link then it serves the default index page which has a javascript function to open a window of the correct size to serve the flash movie into and which relays any deeplink onto the flash movie. Once the movie has initiated all requests are handled within the flash via xml communication with the system i.e the flash sits in a static HTML page and DOES NOT reload separate html pages and flash elements for each section.

your help is much appreciated!!

 

[1DMF]

Nope. Who you link TO is what will go against you.

Wow , really, who I link TO , how do i know who google conciders 'bad', and so I can ensure I do not link to them?

Interesting that internal links make up page rank, so do I create a hundred different pages that all link to my own pages and get them indexed?

Or is that what link farming is?

"In complete darkness we are all the same, only our knowledge and wisdom separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you.

 

[ChrisHirst]

Interesting that internal links make up page rank, so do I create a hundred different pages that all link to my own pages and get them indexed?

You could though it wouldn't help much as those page wouldn't have any PR to pass on.
A futile exercise as well because the PR as shown on the toolbar has no value for ranking purposes.

Or is that what link farming is?

Nope, link farming is using an link exchange scheme where every participant in the scheme links to every other participant.

Chris.

Indifference will be the downfall of mankind, but who cares?
Woo Hoo! the cobblers kids get new shoes.
People Counting Systems

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

 

[1DMF]

None of those pertain to the "X/HTML & CSS" category.

It's ok feherke , it was just something i was curious about due to another thread regarding acessability and JS.

trying to understand how to degrade a website gracefully.

basically if someone has Javascript turned off, but Flash installed , there is no way of showing the flash site, because the only way you can tell flash is installed is with JS.

So there is no way of offering flash / java etc.. to people without JS, so the issue of flash being installed is irrelivant if either JS is turned off or their browser is not JS capable.



"In complete darkness we are all the same, only our knowledge and wisdom separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you.

 

[Foamcow]

So there is no way of offering flash / java etc.. to people without JS, so the issue of flash being installed is irrelivant if either JS is turned off or their browser is not JS capable.

Why not just put he object/embed tag on the page? That will show the Flash movie if Flash is installed.

Using the Flash Satay method you can then place alternate content (an image) beneath the flash content so it will show up if flash isn't available.

Javascript has nothing to do with it unless you use Javascript to sniff for the presence of Flash and then redirect the visitor accordingly.

You could always create a small stub flash movie that will be hidden if JS is installed and performs a redirect (or displays a redirect button) should it end up getting played (i.e. Javascript doesn't hide it AND Flash is available to play it).

<honk>*:O)</honk>

Tyres: Mine's a pint of the black stuff.
Mike: You can't drink a pint of Bovril.

 

[jasonindus]

Foamcow, can you show me how the embed code would look like using the flash satay method? can i put text, html code and links in there instead of an image?

 

[Foamcow]

<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="mymovie.swf" width="350" height="350">
			<param name="movie" value="mymovie.swf" />
			<param name="loop" value="false" />
			<param name="wmode" value="transparent" />
			<img src="myimage.gif" alt="image alt text" />
		</object>

I don't know about putting text in there. I don't see why not, but I don't know what will happen.
The idea is that if Flash is disabled then the image will show up.
However, if Flash is installed but is a lower version that is required by the movie then it won't work. The browser will still try to show the movie an fail.

[google]Flash Satay[/google]

<honk>*:O)</honk>

Tyres: Mine's a pint of the black stuff.
Mike: You can't drink a pint of Bovril.

 

[Foamcow]

I should add that the reasons for using this method are more to do with accessibility than Search Engines.

Again, the old adage applies. Build a site for your visitors not for Search Engines. That really can't be stressed enough.

<honk>*:O)</honk>

Tyres: Mine's a pint of the black stuff.
Mike: You can't drink a pint of Bovril.

 

[1DMF]

cool, So you can display a static image in the place holder as an alternative, but not detect persae.

so it's not the same as having a <noscript> tag, but at least you have a small fall back, better than nothing I guess.

cheers, foamy.

"In complete darkness we are all the same, only our knowledge and wisdom separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you.