Search Engine Optimization for Flash. Best practices for using Flash on the web (e-book)

Search Engine Optimization for Flash. Best practices for using Flash on the web (e-book) - Opis

Some people believe that because search engines can't index all of the content in SWF files, Flash-based websites and Rich Internet Applications don't show up in web searches. This breakthrough book dispels that myth by demonstrating precisely what you can do to make your site fully searchable no matter how much Flash it contains. You'll learn best practices for using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to build sites with Flash that will stand tall in search rankings.Search Engine Optimization for Flash shows you how search engines work, what constitutes a search-engine-optimized (SEO) site, and what to watch out for in the way of SEO pitfalls. With this concise book, you will:Know what content is searchable, and why metadata, keywords, and links are so importantLearn how to place HTML content in your Flash applicationsCreate an SEO website by connecting Flash to JavaScript and CSSWork effectively with SWFObject by understanding its capabilities and limitationsDiscover the advantages of using the Adobe Flex framework for SEOThe first and most authoritative book on how to optimize Flash content for search engines, Search Engine Optimization for Flash is an invaluable resource if you develop with Flash and want to be sure your audience can easily find your site. Spis treści:
Search Engine Optimization for Flash
SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with OReilly
A Note Regarding Supplemental Files
Foreword
Preface
Introduction to Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Understanding SEO and Reasons to Use SEO
Understanding SEO and Flash
Understanding SEO and (...) więcej Web Standards
What You Should Know Before Reading This Book
Flash CS4
ActionScript 3.0
HTML
JavaScript
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
PHP
Setting Up Your Software
Adobe Flash CS4
Dreamweaver CS4 or a Plain-Text Editor
Understanding the Facts About Flash and SEO
Is Flash Content Searchable?
What About SWF Metadata?
What Should I Expect to Learn in This Book?
Who This Book Is For
Websites
Who This Book Is Not For
Conventions Used in This Book
Using Code Examples
Safari Enabled
How to Contact Us
1. SEO Fundamentals
Understanding How Search Engines Work
Spiders
Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)
SEO Versus SEM
What ads are paid?
Who clicks the paid ads?
Should I pay for ads?
Page Rank, Relevance, and Popularity
Page rank
Relevance
Popularity
Understanding Black Hat SEO
Getting into a Searchers Mind
Likely Visitors to Your Site
What People Search For
Connecting with Your Searchers
Establishing trust through security
Establishing trust through design
Establishing trust through content
Connecting through community
Connecting with the locals
You and SEO
Effectively Choosing Keywords
Highly competitive keywords
Unique keywords
Use online tools to see what people are searching for
Important Parts of a Site
Design
Typography
Accessibility
Usability
Site search
Ways to Track SEO on Your Site
Keeping Up with the Latest Info
Key Terms Used in This Chapter
2. Creating an SEO Website
Search Engines and HTML Code
Page Titles
Adding page titles to HTML code
Choosing an effective page title
Working with Links
Writing links
Understanding the link voting system
Working with link attributes
Inbound links
Outbound links
Link limits
Headings
Creating h1, h2, and h3 elements
Bold/Strong Text
Creating bold and strong elements
Emphasized Text
Creating emphasized elements
Images
Images and the alt attribute in HTML
Metadata
Using keyword metadata
Keywords in HTML code
Creating a metadata description
Metadata descriptions in HTML code
Controlling spiders via metadata
File Sizes
Understanding file and folder syntax
Consolidating URLs
Dont Forget the Content
Sitemaps
Why You Need a Sitemap
Creating a Sitemap
Creating an XML-Based Sitemap
Warning: special characters
Creating a Plain-Text Sitemap
Placing Your Sitemap
Submitting a Sitemap
Preventing Spiders from Indexing Pages
Creating a robots.txt File
Placing the robots.txt File
Verifying That robots.txt Is Working
Other Ways to Prevent Files from Being Indexed
Using noindex in metadata
Password-protecting pages
Removing pages from Googles index
Directory Listings
Submitting Your Site to a Directory
Directories You Should Submit To
Local Searches
Benefits of Local Searches
Setting Up Your Site for Local Searches
Submitting Your Site for Local Searches
SEO, Web Standards, and Accessibility
Separation of Content, Structure, and Behavior
Accessibility
SEO Pitfalls
Unethical SEO
Too Much Dynamic Data
Excessive JavaScript/AJAX That Controls HTML
Too Much Flash Content
Frames
Slicing
Monitoring Your Success
Number of People Visiting
Patience and Time
Poor Results
Exercises in Creating a Simple SEO Site
Exercise 2-1: Viewing Optimized HTML
Exercise 2: Viewing Pages That Contain Flash
Exercise 3: Setting Up a Google Webmaster Tools Account
Exercise 4: Adding a Simple Sitemap
Exercise 5: Consolidating Home Page URLs
Exercise 6: Protecting Private Data
Key Terms Used in This Chapter
3. Creating Optimized Content in Flash
Flash SEO Myths
Myth 1: Flash Content Is Bad for SEO
Myth 2: Flash Content Isnt Searchable
Flash SEO Pitfalls and Challenges
Using Too Much Flash
The Link Dilemma
Data Security
Creating SEO Flash Content
Flash SEO Original Methods
Understanding SWF metadata
Adding metadata to a SWF file
Viewing XMP metadata
Flash text in HTML
Recent Developments on the Flash SEO Front
Understanding what content is searchable
Understanding how to make searchable Flash content
Understanding how to make non-searchable Flash content
Optimizing a Flash application for search
Using HTML text with CSS in ActionScript 3.0
Solving the Link Dilemma
Understanding named anchors
Creating multipage applications
Understanding deep links
Exercises
Exercise 3-1: Optimizing a Flash Application
Exercise 2: Optimizing ActionScript-Driven Text in a Flash Application
Key Terms Used in This Chapter
4. Using JavaScript with Flash for SEO
Prerequisite JavaScript Experience
Essential Flash SEO JavaScript
SWFObject
Benefits of SWFObject
Downloading SWFObject
Using SWFObject in a Flash application
Using the static publishing method
Using the dynamic publishing method
Using the SWFObject generator
SWFAddress
Benefits of SWFAddress
Limitations of SWFAddress
Downloading SWFAddress
Using SWFAddress in a Flash application
Exchanging Data Between Flash and JavaScript
Understanding the ExternalInterface Class
Reasons to use ExternalInterface
Using ExternalInterface to call JavaScript functions
Using returned JavaScript data
Calling Flash functions from JavaScript
Using data returned from Flash with JavaScript
Other Methods of Flash and JavaScript Communication
Working with flashvars
Exercises
Exercise 4-1: Optimizing with SWFObject
Exercise 4-2: Deep Linking with SWFAddress
Exercise 4-3: Flash/JavaScript Communication with ExternalInterface
Exercise 4-4A: Installing a Testing Server (Windows XP and Windows Vista)
Exercise 4-4B: Installing a Testing Server (Mac OS X)
Key Terms Used in This Chapter
5. Optimizing Dynamic Content
Understanding Dynamic Content and Static Content
Dynamic Content and SEO
Challenges for Optimizing Dynamic Content
Dynamic URLs
Logins and other forms
Cookies
Session IDs
Hidden pages
JavaScript
Ways to Optimize Dynamic Content
Creating static URLs
Optimizing content hidden by forms
Understanding AJAX
AJAX SEO Issues
AJAX SEO Solutions
Creating searchable AJAX applications
Exercise: Optimizing a Dynamic Application that Uses Flash
Key Terms Used in this Chapter
6. SEO for Rich Internet Applications Using Flex
Getting to Know Flex
Reasons to Use Flex Instead of Flash
Understanding Flex Applications
Becoming Familiar with Flex Builder
Design view
Source view
The Flex Navigator
Creating a Flex Project
Building a Simple Flex Application
Adding components and modifying properties
Adding simple interactivity
Testing the application
Viewing the files created by Flex
More to learn
Searchable Flex Content
Static Text
Dynamic Text
Other Searchable Elements
Best Practices
Essential Flex SEO Steps
Loading Text into Flex
Understanding Data Loading
Understanding E4X
Working with XML elements in ActionScript 3.0
Working with E4X attributes
Using XML Data in Flex
Understanding History Management
Using History Management
Benefits of History Management
Weaknesses of History Management
Understanding the BrowserManager Class and Deep Linking
BrowserManager Essentials
Properties, methods, and events
Using the URLUtil class
Creating a Deep Linking Application
BrowserManager Limitations
Implementing SWFObject in a Flex Application
Using SWFObject with Flex
Using SWFAddress with Flex
Implementing SWFAddress in Flex
Deep Linking with URLKit
Benefits of URLKit
Implementing URLKit in a Flex Application
Adding urlkitFlex3.swc to your projects build path
Adding the URLKit code
Exercises
Exercise 6-1: Loading XML-Based Text
Exercise 6-2: Using SWFObject with a Flex Application
Exercise 6-3: Deep Linking Using SWFAddress
Exercise 6-4: Deep Linking with URLKit
Key Terms Used in This Chapter
7. Optimizing Your Site
Looking at Your Site As a Search Engine Optimizer
Reviewing Flash SEO Techniques
Creating searchable text
Adding deep links
Optimizing development time with reusable XML data
Case Studies: Two Flash-Based Websites
ChrisOrwig.com
AndrewThorn.com
Top SEO Hazards
Searchable text
Deep links
Improving High and Low Priority Areas
Identifying higher priority areas
Recognizing lower priority areas
Exercises
Exercise 1: Optimizing a Sites HTML Code to Adjust Its Description in the SERPs
Exercise 2: Adding Searchable Text to a Poorly Optimized Site
Exercise 3: Using XML Data with PHP to Optimize Development Time
Challenge
Index
About the Author
Colophon
SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with OReilly mniej