When I’m discussing Internet marketing or Search Engine Optimization with business owners, rarely does the conversation include any search engines other than Google.  I have to force myself to remind people that there are still a couple of search engines, operated by major companies, that still exist out there.

Why don’t we think of anyone else when it comes to search engines?  Well, take a look at these stats from comScore:

It seems to me that if more than 1 in 2 Internet users are using Google search engine products to find what they are looking, we need to develop our Web strategies around the way Google likes to play the game.

Yes, I know I said game.  I realize we’re really discussing some very important business points here, but when all the average business can do is follow the rules, it helps to view it as a game which we need to play if we are to win.

It is a commonly held opinion in the Internet marketing industry that if we develop our sites in accordance with the way Google indexes them, we are indeed satisfying the majority of Web site qualities the other search engines also look for.

So, if you wondered why it is that the “G-word” is almost all we think about when it comes to measuring our search engine successes, now you know.

A friend of mine wanted to know whether I could recommend a good restaurant in or around Sydney while he was visiting for a week or so.  It’s been a while since I’ve been in Sydney, so I thought I’d try to find my favorite Chinese restaurant.

Well, it’s a good thing that I remembered the name and the spelling (yes, it was that good!), because I couldn’t find it with a localized search of Chinese cuisine.  An example of doing a localized search would be something like:

chinese restaurant + portland

The idea is to be presented with a listing of Chinese restaurants in Portland.

Anyway, the restaurant was nowhere to be seen in any Google listing.  Concerned that maybe the best Chinese restaurant in the Sydney Metro area might no longer be in business, I typed the name.  I was relieved to find the restaurant was indeed still in business, but then I wondered why the heck it wasn’t achieving better search engine results.  I mean, the food and service at this restaurant is considered world class and is a home-away-from for many international visitors.  Then, as soon as I visited the site, I could see why.

That’s right.  The site is almost entirely developed in Flash.

What a shame!

Flash delivers truly spectacular visual results, but this can also be a problem for the developer who does not understand what it takes to develop a Flash site so that it is at least search engine friendly.  Certainly, they are going to find disappointed people on the end of the telephone if the client was expecting acceptable search engine rankings.

This is because Flash is rich in visual content; even text, when it’s written in a Flash movie, is an image and search engines do not crawl images.

The bottom line: creating Web sites which rely totally on images is usually counter-productive if you want good search engine results.

For this reason, Flash is often given a bad rap because it is, “search engine un-friendly.”  This needn’t be the case, however.  Although it takes more work and attention to fine details, a site which has been developed in Flash can be optimized for indexing by the search engines.

If you like Flash, be prepared to budget for its development and search engine optimization.  The Flash platform, or engine, requires care, attention to detail, graphic skills (in addition to traditional Web graphic skills) and strong programming skills.  Flash developers, good ones, typically charge fees that are relative to their skill level.