This past year i have been researching and testing a variety of methods for building flash web venues that take into consideration SEO, deep-linking, and browser compatability. There have been several examples and solutions provided by the flash community over the past year around some of these problems – BUT – none of them were complete solutions for all the issues – only half baked. The only full solution i have found so far is called SWFAddress by Asual – and is used in combination with deconcept’s SWFObject script.
Why do we care about all of this???
First it provides a solution for the DATA to be in one place, and then the user is delivered the data, STYLED using whatever technologies they have available to them between their OS & Browser. What this means – is that if a user comes to the site with a Flash & Javascript enabled browser – they will experience the site through the Flash styled site with all the niceties of animation and transitions. However if the user comes to the site missing a Flash plugin OR Javascript is not enabled – they will still be able to experience the site in a more static style where the PHP will parse out static HTML pages for that user using the same DATA source that the Flash enabled user will get.
Secondly, the actionscript/javascript/php framework that is used also solves a major issue that has plagued flash sites for a long time – lack of being able to use browsers back and forward buttons AND deep-linking to a specific point into your flash movie. How many times have you hated it when you hit the BACK button and you end up at google even though you dove 6 pages deep into a flash site??? And wouldn’t you like to be able to save a link from a specific page in a flash movie and bookmark it OR send it on to someone else??? Well, the solution i have arrived at using SWFAddress by Asual solves all these problems – in fact this solution is the same that can be use for AJAX & FLEX applications as well!
I will be posting back as often as possible breaking down this method and trying to help explain and shed light on how to use and build more user / google friendly flash/flex/ajax websites! Check back soon for more information on this topic!
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