You may have noticed that on November 9, Google implemented ‘Preview Search’ to let Google searchers have a quick preview of the website’s first page. So now anyone looking for a certain goods (or even web designers in Brisbane) can have the benefit of a ‘quick look’ at the websites offered up merely by hovering over the magnifying glass.
As yet, the Google Preview ignores Flash. And as YouTube uses Flash to work, any videos that search has found won’t show up in the preview. And for those with fancy Flash files on their landing pages, obviously Instant Preview is going to be blank as well, leading the searchers to other website alternatives.
Web Design without Flash
Of course, here at Red Planet Design we’ve long known that pure Flash pages are not great for search engine optimisation, and we discourage use of Splash pages (i.e. the page says loading….). This doesn’t mean you are relegated to a static site, as dynamic elements (e.g. a changing feature image) can be implemented without affecting the page’s visibility in search. See for yourself in this site, where Javascript just changes the header image: http://www.peterjonesconstructions.com.au/
As BigMouthMedia said in their blog post about Previews and Flash:
“it would be advisable to always consider how your website renders without Flash, JavaScript, images or stylesheets, as people browse the web through many media – not just on desktops.”
Good Web Design from Three Perspectives
The new Search Preview tool also has implications for good web design. Brisbane businesses would do well to think about how their present website looks on three levels:
- The way it looks on common browsers and desktop PCs
- The way it looks (and works) on mobile smartphones and small devices
- The way it looks to users in a Google search – including the title, content snippets, and sneak preview
As you use the Preview yourself, you’ll perhaps be more attracted to sites with nice use of colour and layout, as long as it also describes what you were looking for!