Marketing To Brides: Does FLASH Help or Hurt Your Business

I have a couple computers that I work on. One desktop in my office and a laptop.

For about a month now I haven't been able to get FLASH to play on my office desktop. I'm a pretty technical guy and I've done everything: (1) downloaded a new version of FLASH, (2) downloaded the latest Internet Explorer browser, (3) adjusted my security settings in IE, (4) un-installed, re-installed Internet Explorer, (4) spent about two hours looking for "fixes" at the Adobe site and Microsoft site, (5) tried most of those fixes and wasted another three or four hours, (6) now need to play with a Windows registry editor (which I'm SURE is not the problem, because FLASH works on my alternative browser, Firefox).

I'm wondering, would a bride with the same or similar problem go to all this effort to view your website.

You may think your FLASH site is cool but I'm convinced most FLASH websites LOSE more business than you ever gain.

Add to that the fact that FLASH websites are virtually invisible in the search engines, and don't believe the latest "Flash friendly techniques..." or you're a fool, and today... FLASH is still a BIG MISTAKE in my book.

Google Now Crawling and Indexing Flash

Don't get too excited though...

If you are marketing to brides online and have a Flash website there's good news, sort of, for you today.

Google just announced it has a new algorithm that is crawling and indexing Flash and Flash web pages. So, Happy Days for all those with Flash websites.

Right?

Well, not exactly, there's a "but." Actually, a BIG but...

And here it is: Don't be overly optimistic that your Flash website will shoot it's way to a top ranked position at Google or any other search engine, anytime soon, as a result of this change.

Don't think your Flash site (or pages) are still not at a dis-advantage to static/crawler-friendly pages.

I still think VERY crawler-friendly websites, that are professional-quality search engine optimized, the static/html type, will beat out Flash websites for a VERY long time - at least two more years.

Why, you ask? For no other reason than there are dozens of other factors involved with an effective search engine optimization strategy and this new algorithm is only a small piece, although a step in the right direction (if you like Flash), so it really doesn't mean a lot right now.

On a similar note, I spent a lot of time yesterday poking around at a lot of different wedding photographer's and wedding videographer's websites.

I have to tell you, I'm not impressed with Flash at all. What aggravated me the most was the WAIT.

Wait for this to load, wait for that to load...

Oh... and then load some MUSIC on me.

Oh... make it almost impossible for me to read (white text on black backgrounds, graphic-based text vs. text-based, framed windows that I have to scroll, pull-down options that don't work... the list is LONG...)

Add on some navigation that doesn't work or start the whole process of waiting again.

Folks, the web is NOT a TV commercial and frankly I would bet lunch a website that focuses MORE on INFORMATION instead of we'll-impress-them-with-our-Flash, will convert more of your traffic into inquiries.

Actually, I can give you at least 5 examples of wedding photographers who went "Flash" and were totally frustrated that brides couldn't find them at Google, Yahoo!, or MSN.

Even driving traffic to them with Google Adwords (pay-per-click) didn't work. The conversion was horrible.

Bottom line: Flash may still not be the most effective way for marketing to brides online.

I know I'm not going to make it on the Christmas card list of all you folks out there with Flash sites... and Flash developers are sticking another needle in their Chris Jaeger Voodoo Doll - but at least you're hearing it straight from someone.



Chris Jaeger

FLASH Can Significantly Hurt Your Online Visibility

FLASH is fun, cool, and can be used to make some pretty impressive presentations.

The problem is that is can very significantly hurt your online visibility - what I call your "findability factor."

All Flash sites, websites made entirely of Flash, are the kiss-of-death (IMO).

When brides can't find you online they don't stop looking.

Oh no, they find one of your competitors.

Search engine spiders, the automated programs that continuously scan web pages, don't deal well with Flash. They can't read it and as a result they can't determine relevancy and so can't index it.

I'd say a website made entirely of Flash probably has a 20% findability factor compared to a spider-friendly, HTML crawlable website.

Let me put it another way.

800 brides who were looking for you using a search engine last month couldn't find your website!!

80%, maybe even as high as 90%, of the brides who could have booked your services probably found and booked with someone else. Ouch!

The sort-of-maybe-good news is: a Flash site, when designed properly, can convert well.

Unfortunately, that's rare, based on what I'm seeing out there.

Can you afford to live on 20% of the brides out there who are looking for you? In today's competitive environment, I think the answer is "NO."

Bottom Line: All Flash websites will hurt your overall online findability factor. They are probably impossible to get top ranked for any competitive category (I haven't found one yet!).

In order to get brides to your website you'll spend more money to advertise and promote your website vs. a competitor who has a search engine friendly, top-ranked website.

If you have an all Flash website, consider advertising at my popular Wedding Planning Links website to address this problem and make it easier for brides to find you online.

Chris Jaeger
Book More Weddings
http://www.bookmoreweddings.com

FLASH and SEO

I get a lot of questions about FLASH and how it fits into, or doesn't fit into, search engine friendly sites. Here's my .02 cents worth (and the truth!).

1) Search engines DO NOT see FLASH code. So anything at your website that uses FLASH, will not be indexed or crawled by a search engine spider.

This means:

Menus
Navigation
All FLASH "Enter Here" Pages (the KISS of death, trust me..)
Anything... that is created using FLASH

Does this mean if your site is ALL FLASH search engines won't see it and be able to index it?

YES

Does this mean your ALL FLASH website doesn't have a chance of being top ranked at Google, Yahoo!, or MSN?

YES

Does this mean your ALL FLASH website will be harder for brides to find?

YES

Does this mean your FLASH navigation system is invisible to search engine spiders and therefore they can't follow and index those pages?

YES

Are there workarounds to an all FLASH site that I can use to solve this problem?

NO

Are there workarounds that I can use if I use some FLASH to get the FLASH elements of my website indexed and ranked?

NO. If it's FLASH... it doensn't get indexed, plain and simple.

Can I use some FLASH on my home page (or web pages)?

SURE, as long as you don't mind that ANYTHING in FLASH will not be crawled and therefore stands little or no chance of being indexed or ranked well at Google, Yahoo!, or MSN.

I've heard there are things you can do to fix this problem and that FLASH isn't that bad?

Oh yes, and I heard the moon is made out of cheese, too.

Any of your competitors, who create easy to crawl, well optimized pages, without FLASH, and using a full suite of search engine optimization techniques, both on-page and off-page, is going to beat you - and their website will be easier for brides to find at Google, Yahoo!, and MSN for any competitive keyword/phrase.