Should I Make a Flash Site? Flash Website Flowchart.

One of the most common questions that I get asked by web designers and web site owners is whether or not they should create all flash websites. The process of making the decision about flash web sites for SEO (search engine optimization) purposes is actually quite difficult, so I took the time to create a flow chart on whether or not you should create an all flash web site.

As you can see, it gets pretty complicated, but hopefully you can apply this flash website flowchart the next time you are trying to decide whether or not you should create a flash web site.

Posted by admin on Sep 13, 2006 in Rants & Raves | 114 comments

114 Comments

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Evan
Sep 13, 2006

hahaha. thats freakin awesome.
Stevil
Sep 13, 2006

That really clears things up for me. Thanks!

But flash is so . . . flashy . . .
mjorge
Sep 13, 2006

Many thanks, i was really in need of the chart. Wow…
danae
Sep 13, 2006

Thanks for the chuckle – i might use that at work!
Clay C
Sep 26, 2006

hilarious! Thanks
Nate K
Oct 6, 2006

That is…incredible.
web
Oct 6, 2006

Making a flash website SEO friendly is not all that difficult, but it does require effort.

Flash has it’s time and place and it is often abused.
btraut
Oct 6, 2006

You should’ve made the flowchart in flash, so I could blow it up and hang it in my cube without it getting all pixelated.
dave
Oct 6, 2006

beautiful. I’m working on a project right now that calls for a flash app on the homepage. I’m working my a*s off to implement what my client wants with a javascript/ajax framework. If they ask, I’ll probably still tell them it’s flash.
Jim - Calgary web designer
Oct 6, 2006

That is the correct answer for people who do not know how to develop and SEO Flash web sites. I do understand that this is just for humour purposes, but this is really is a common misconception by all SEOs. Seeing as it is possible to have a super duper SEO’d web site that has a complete Flash presentation layer, this joke really only applies to the people who have no idea what they are doing. That to me is more funny.
Geoff
Oct 6, 2006

Flash websites can be made 100% search engine friendly, it just takes a little attitude adjustment (and some Javascript):

http://blog.deconcept.com/2006/03/13/modern-approach-flash-seo/
Rowan Lewis
Oct 6, 2006

You, need to make that into a poster 🙂
masqueraider
Oct 7, 2006

…or a t-shirt 🙂
Rami
Oct 7, 2006

Sorry, I don’t get it. Can you clarify the flow chart please?
Emil StenstrÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¶m
Oct 7, 2006

Haha, great 🙂 The ultimate joke would be to make a special flash only site with that image on. Perhaps even add som special effects?
boris
Oct 8, 2006

flash content can be made searchable and linkable by google. It’s pretty easy. you’re just not quite there yet. maybe you never even tried.
Jens Meiert
Oct 8, 2006

+1 for a poster.

Thank you very much 🙂
Luke
Oct 8, 2006

This is the most awesome thing I have seen this week! Thank you! 🙂
Sebhelyesfarku
Oct 9, 2006

Flash is crap for retards.
El Guapo
Oct 9, 2006

Flash people are hilarious. Funny how so many of us used to be Flash people, but then grew up to know better, huh? 😉
Chris
Oct 10, 2006

I like flash very much and disagree with the above diagram which I think ignores the importance of making the internet exciting with lots o visuals and music, not to mention the possibliity of video and animation!?

so i think everyone should make flash websites then as with everything, you get used to a new experience.

what do you think…
i think you should all wake up to its possibilities

chris
Michael Thompson
Oct 10, 2006

I’m being told I have to download some sort of pluging just to view this…

🙂
Chuck
Oct 10, 2006

We just published a post with some tips on how AJAX and SEO can work together. It’s a great way to compact a good amount of content on a page without having to refresh or clutter the page.

http://blog.dtelepathy.com/digital-marketing/can-ajax-and-seo-live-together
Birgit
Oct 11, 2006

Ha ha, pretty funny 🙂

I will show this to customers when they ask about an all-Flash website next time.
Renato Carvalho
Oct 11, 2006

uaheuahueahueah!

Very Good!
peter
Oct 12, 2006

Bugger – the secret is out – I thought I was the ONLY one telling potential clients that for several years.

P
Alexx
Oct 12, 2006

.. and like the Clash said..

” should I Flash or should I Go..”

alexx
Erwin Heiser
Oct 12, 2006

brroooaaauuuuhahahahaha
Man, you just made my day 🙂
Cheers!
Tom
Oct 13, 2006

I absolutely agree with you 🙂
charles
Oct 13, 2006

It depends on the site. The medium is the message. The misconception that (in my experience) most clients have is that flash is a “cooler” and therefore “better” version of other web languages. It’s not – it’s just meant for different things. If you’re making a site, for example, that needs to communicate something cinematic, animated, artsy, or weird then flash might be something to consider. There is no “Yes,” and “No,” it depends on your message.

Also, Geoff at deconcept has indeed done some amazing work with the SEO thing, :

http://blog.deconcept.com/2006/03/13/modern-approach-flash-seo/
Curtis Morley
Oct 17, 2006

Made me laugh. That is a great chart. I had a teacher that would draw flow charts like that.

Should you build an all Flash site? Absolutely not. Take a look at all the crazy company’s that I found that are doing it. These are crazy people like Disney, Nike, BMW, Pizza hut, Oprah, computer maker – Gateway, ESPN, etc.. Why would you ever want to be like them?

http://www.curtismorley.com/?p=3

I don’t think that an all Flash site is a good idea at all. I do think that an all Flash site with SEO is a good idea.