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Excerpt from

O U T L O O K

Asynchronous Java_Script + XML (AJAX) is a newer technology that is comprised of technologies that have existed for many years. AJAX enables developers to move away from the request/response model in which the web traditionally operates. This means that content can be updated without refreshing the page by allowing communication between a server and individual components on a web page in an asynchronous fashion. AJAX can dynamically populate form elements based on user interactions. This allows for updating pages with real-time data (i.e., shopping, stock quotes, news content, movie times, etc.).

When applied appropriately, AJAX can make websites more responsive and give users more contextual information without needing to refresh the browser. However, AJAX may not be the best solution if a site needs to move large amounts of data between client and server.

FLEX is a reasonably new rich Internet application technology from Macromedia and is an ideal choice for the same types of tasks that AJAX excels at. A key difference between the two is in the implementation. FLEX is based on Macromedia’s Flash technology, as opposed to Java_Script and XML. FLEX is an appropriate choice for clients with an existing investment in Flash technology.

Advertisers and ad-supported web publishers will need to keep a close eye on the adoption of AJAX and FLEX. These technologies will likely change the way ads are sold. New data will be collected, new ad formats will emerge and a new level of interaction will be reached.

AJAX creates an environment that presents challenges to SEO efforts. It is too early to determine full implications on SEO. We do not endorse a common workaround, whereby an AJAX site is developed and a mirror site is created in HTML. Dynamically presenting the HTML site could lead to the site being penalized by the major search engines. To date, no clear or safe SEO strategies exist for AJAX. Due to the complexity of environments that can be created using AJAX, the long-term outlook for SEO on sites incorporating this technology will be limited to light indexing, which would place a heavy emphasis on title and meta elements.

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