Adobe Flash grows closer to its impending demise.
Adobe Flash was a common software used by websites to showcase multimedia such as videos, animations, GIFs and games. Last month, Mozilla, the makers of the Firefox web browser, announced they were blocking Flash due to recently discovered vulnerabilities that hackers have been exploiting. Mozilla also commented that they will not lift the block until these vulnerabilities have been fixed.
It was reported that hackers can use these security flaws to gain access to your computers by running malicious software. The vulnerabilities were announced to the public after the Hacking Team, an Italian company that supplies hacking tools around the world, was ironically hacked.
This report came days after the Facebook security chief, Alex Stamos, tweeted:
“It is time for Adobe to announce the end-of-life date for flash and to ask the browsers to set killbits on the same day.”
This is also not the first time that Adobe Flash has been the target of scrutiny. Before his death, Steve Jobs was adamant about not allowing any Flash plugins on iPhones, iPods and iPads.
News Flash! Adobe Flash is Old News!
If you ask any competent web designer, they will probably tell you that using Adobe Flash is impractical and just plain foolish. Surprisingly, it is still one of the most common web design mistakes today. Bottom line: You need to stop using Flash. Here are just several more reasons why:
Not SEO friendly:
Using flash on your website can negatively affect your SEO because it is extremely difficult for many search engines to decipher content that is not in HTML format. Is using flash really worth potentially affecting your search ranking?
Requires a flash player:
In order to see the animations and videos, users have to make sure that they download and update the latest Flash Player. Today, many people do not have the latest Flash player installed and are highly unlikely to download it.
No mobile support:
Mobile search queries have surpassed desktop searches. With the use of mobile devices increasing, using Flash is impractical because it has never been supported by major mobile platforms such as Apple.
It’s a power hog:
Flash uses a lot of power, which causes browsers to slow down. Chances are if a viewer has to wait a long time for a video to load, they will lose interest and browse elsewhere.
There is better software:
HTML 5 works more efficiently on mobile devices, and is supported by all browsers. Simply put, anything that Flash may be able to do, HTML 5 can do better.
Will you continue making this common website mistake or will you give Adobe Flash the boot?
At Kraus Marketing we offer many services such as social media marketing, web design and search engine marketing. If your website is still using Flash and you wish to redesign it, our skilled team will be more than happy to assist you through the process. For more information, contact us at (973)-998-5742 or visit us online at www.KrausMarketing.com.