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January 8, 2008
Google, SWF SDK
Google, SWF SDK: I saw this item in news searches earlier today, but now it has gotten linked on Techmeme, so conversation may escalate. The gist is that Google staffer Matt Cutts said in an interview that he "thinks" Google may have moved from their own method of seeing the static text in a SWF to the Macromedia Flash Search Engine SDK. We've known for decades that Google does in fact index results on the text in a SWF -- well, I exaggerate on the "decades", but it has felt like decades trying to get the SEO consultants to research before speaking. But it likely doesn't make much difference either way -- if your SWF happens to mention "rutabaga" within it, you still likely will not come up on that valuable first page of results for the query "rutabaga". You've got to figure out how your audience will likely try to find your service, and then optimize your HTML, metadata, and inbound links for those terms searchers will use on which you can competitively place. Even if Matt had solid info either way, it's hard to see how it would matter much. Figure out how your audience will be searching for you, estimate on which terms you can realistically compete, and then optimize for those particular queries. The only reasons I can imagine to download the old Macromedia SDK would be to check out the order in which your SWF's bodytext appears, or if you're making a SWF utilities of your own. Incidental bodytext might be useful in some advanced and specific searches, but not for making your site popular... Wikipedia and the defunct Rutabaga News will always outplace you.
Posted by JohnDowdell at January 8, 2008 1:04 PM