Hello,

I have read some things and it looks like google has obviously changed some things in the way they index pages, and it may have effected me. I just changed my website to an entirely flash based site, and it was still listed as google as 1-4 when the business name was searched for. About 3 or 4 weeks ago, it is no longer in google. I am also an Adwords customer, and last month was probably 2 or 3 times more than I have ever spent on my adwords, so I know people are coming to the site. I am number 1 in yahoo and altavista. It kind of ticks me off...

Also, I was wondering how I can do this...

In the two links below "dsquared" and "j lindeberg" are searched for. Each has exclusively flash based website. Under the link though, it has a nice little blob about the company and what is on the website, but that text doesn't appear anywhere on their website...

(The first listing in each search are the websites I am refering to)

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=dsquared
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=j+lindeberg

Any help would be great...

Regards,
Michael

Both the sites you mention are listed in the Google directory (the data for which comes from the Open Directory Project). The descriptions are taken from the DMOZ listings here:

http://directory.google.com/Top/Business/Arts_and_Entertainment/Fashion/Designers/Collections/Ready_to_Wear/Northern_Hemisphere/United_States_and_European/Milan/

There is no reason why you cannot put text and outbound links on your base HTML page. That content should get indexed. But, if you're afraid it would be regarded as hidden content (it should not be, but I know some people will insist it HAS to be), then you should still be able to set up some non-flash pages that link to the main page with explanatory anchor text.

Thanks for the response. I think what I will do is just have an intro html page. Since I have an online store as well as a regular website, you user can choose whether they want to go to the online store or the main webpage on from the starting page...

thanks...

Why not just get rid of the Flash? Do you know that usability studies have shown that Flash drives people away from sites?

What does the Flash add to your content and functionality?

The reason I used flash was because it is so much easier to make the website look the way I wanted it to look. There isn't anything fancy at all about the flash. It just looks clean and presentable. It loads immediately even with a dialup connection. About every upper end clothing brand out there has a flash site as well...

The reason I used flash was because it is so much easier to make the website look the way I wanted it to look. There isn't anything fancy at all about the flash. It just looks clean and presentable. It loads immediately even with a dialup connection. About every upper end clothing brand out there has a flash site as well...

Every other lemming in the pack heads over the cliff, too. Just because the competition does something is not a reason to do it yourself.

Flash is a tool, not an embellishment. If you include Flash on your site, it should do something other than just look as pretty as the next guy's Flash.

Does that make sense?

You want to stand out from the crowd even after you bring people in from the search engines. You don't own the surfers, you cannot prevent them from leaving your site, and you cannot prevent them from looking at your competitors' sites.

So, while you have their attention, make every second count, make every element count.

You can do a lot without Flash. You can do a lot with it.

But if you're doing nothing with it, you're better off without it.

That is my point.

Thanks for the advice, but I will stick with my flash site. Users will come to the site for the clothes, and if I can offer them a website that is unobtrusive, easy to navigate, and that looks professional, I can't ask for much more than that...

Regards,
Michael

Thanks for the advice, but I will stick with my flash site. Users will come to the site for the clothes, and if I can offer them a website that is unobtrusive, easy to navigate, and that looks professional, I can't ask for much more than that...

Regards,
Michael

Michael, I'm not trying to persuade you or anyone to do away with Flash.