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SEO for Graphics-Based Websites |
SEO for Image Based WebsitesA3webtech have a great deal of experience with search optimising image based websites. This is because a number of our clients way back when we first started had such sites, and our business was closely involved with this discrete area of search marketing from the beginning. Graphics-based websites include those featuring pictures, art, graphics, photos, aspects of photography, Flash, Coldfusion, video and so on as a major component of the website's business or overall presentation.SEO for these picture-based websites is a different concept from that applied to mainstream websites, because search is generally based on text, or to be specific, keywords. To explain that a little: organic search traffic - that is to say, visitors who arrive at a website via a search engine after searching using a given phrase - do so because the search engine concerned has found that specific phrase repeated a significant number of times within the text on the site, or in other relevant places. As you can see immediately, with a comparatively smaller volume of text on the website, search traffic is that much harder to generate.Actually, it is not quite correct to say that search is based on text or even keywords - it is based on naming, which is a slightly different concept; and also of course links, in that traffic is supplied to websites that have enough links that they are deemed of sufficient importance.'Naming' is not quite the same thing as text - luckily - so that there are other opportunities to create the word and phrase relevance equity that is so important to search results. The final result of these interesting differences from a standard website is that links, and especially certain aspects of them, are of much more importance to an image-centred website than a text-based website. In addition, all the more subtle factors of the onsite aspects of website search optimising become more important; perfect site tuning is much more critical.SEO for Flash websites
Closely related to this subject is search optimising for Flash and Coldfusion sites - those that employ a large percentage of Flash-type videos. In some cases, an entire website can be built of Flash.This is an interesting example of the conflicting requirements of design and function, and the different viewpoints of developers and commercial realists. Unfortunately, a pretty website does not necessarily help the owner. In the case of a 100% Flash website, the owner can never hope to achieve the volume of organic traffic the website should get, as it may be poorly viewed by search engines - since, in general, they cannot understand or index the content. Even a 50% Flash website is severely handicapped for search results, and will have to depend that much more on PPC traffic generation and similar methods.
For technical readers it is necessary to expand on one or two of the last points, in order to supply a completely accurate answer. It is true that Google employ the Adobe Flash SDK in order to interpret Flash content; but this is not always 100% efficient and in any case is a severely limiting media for search appeal. Not all SEs use the Adobe SDK in any case. A broad statement that Flash is poor for search engine results is therefore accurate.
As an example, check this useful page on how badly many top UK media sites perform for search. The winner (actually in last place for search performance) is of course a typical media-industry Flash-based website that is completely invisible:
http://james.cridland.net/blog/2008/04/12/the-worst-uk-media-sites-for-seo/
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---Update---
A3webtech now have a new system in place for generating good organic search results for Flash sites. Please get in touch to discuss this.
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What a waste of moneyThere are two interesting follow-ons from the preceding points: the huge numbers of website owners who are forced to depend entirely on advertising for results; and the vast amount of money spent on this that is either unnecessary or at least not efficiently expended. Another factor is that many site owners have no concept of the amount of business that a successful website will bring in, and simply assume that it will act as an alternative brochure; and that business will carry on much as it has for the last thousand years and the Internet will have no affect on it. Did you find this page useful?
If so, please consider linking to it. Thank you. We think these misapprehensions need correcting, and that if website owners with image-based sites of various types need more site-generated income, they have to search out those who appreciate the issues. Search optimising for graphics sites isn't easy, but it can be rewarding when the results start to come in. |
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SEO For Image Sites
