Adobe teams up with Google and Yahoo to index more flash content for search

Silicon Alley Insider reports that Adobe (ADBE) will make it easier for search engines to index more content in applications built with its Flash software. Previously, Google and Yahoo could index text and links in Flash animations and applications. Now, with some "optimized Adobe Flash Player technology," they'll be able to "uncover information" in Flash files "that is currently undiscoverable by search engines."

This is a small revolution in the search engine's world as Flash was, up to now, almost hermetic to search engines and a Flash developer had to create an alternative, plain HTML, web site just to add content to the search engines.

Adobe has developed a special Flash player which will feed the Google and Yahoo's engines with concrete data about texts and links available in the SWF file, which they now will be able to follow. Some limitations are still in place tough, as the Google bot won't be able to precisely index images, Javascript-created flash content and bidirectional text could cause problems.

Google explains that those enhancements won't require any action from the web designers/masters. The Flash content will then be automatically indexed, without modifying existing code.

You can read a Q&A on Improved Flash indexing from the Google's webmaster central blog or from Adobe's developer center.

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