Flash is a design tool. It should be used to add “pizzazz” to a website, not for building a website. The pitfalls of designing an entire website in flash are well known: no text for search engines to index, no hierarchy of website links (directory tree structure) for search engines to follow, no understanding of images, etc. Flash should be used in the same manner that beautiful graphics are used on a website to enhance the user experience (UX). Flash should not be used for navigation, text or links.

Let me be clear. I’m a proponent of flash technology as a UX tool, just as I am with HTML5 and other tools for creating a rich and engaging website. But there are limitations that website designers should know about.

Having said all of that, website make entirely of flash can still rank well — if you’re a big brand, and despite a lack of SEO efforts. :)