Apple and Adobe Flash wars aside, changes in Google’s display of search engine results–the new “Google Instant Previews”–offer compelling reason to avoid Flash on websites. Search engine marketers have been able to stomach some Flash use by our clients in the past using workarounds to ensure that content still gets crawled. But it now seems that Flash should be avoided 100%. Especially on the home page.
Why?
With Google’s Instant Previews, you get a glimpse into a website’s content. But of course, Flash doesn’t display. Although this is still too new to have concrete data, it’s a safe bet that pages that look broken will receive lower click through rates.