Google posted to their blog tonight that they have integrated their search algorithm with the Flash platform.  Theoretically this would mean that Flash based websites and components would now be able to be referenced via web search.  This would be the first time that rich media search like this would be possible.  And Venturebeat has announced tonight that Yahoo! has also created the same integration with Adobe.  So for the first time in a while it looks like Yahoo! isn’t starting from a mile behind Google.  Here is what Googlers, Ron Adler and Janis Stipins, are saying about the announcement:

Google has been developing a new algorithm for indexing textual content in Flash files of all kinds, from Flash menus, buttons and banners, to self-contained Flash websites. Recently, we’ve improved the performance of this Flash indexing algorithm by integrating Adobe’s Flash Player technology.  In the past, web designers faced challenges if they chose to develop a site in Flash because the content they included was not indexable by search engines. They needed to make extra effort to ensure that their content was also presented in another way that search engines could find.  Now that we’ve launched our Flash indexing algorithm, web designers can expect improved visibility of their published Flash content, and you can expect to see better search results and snippets. There’s more info on the Webmaster Central blog about the Searchable SWF integration.

Dan Frommer, from Silicon Alley Insider says, “This is good news for searchers, who might be able to find more stuff that they’re looking for. And it’s potentially good news for publishers who use dynamic Flash applications: More of their content could be indexed on Google (GOOG) or Yahoo (YHOO) than before, which could increase traffic. It’s also a smart move for Adobe, which is going to see more competition from other Internet application platforms/frameworks — and must give companies every possible reason to keep using Flash.”

I think this was a great strategic move by Adobe, since this gives it yet another leg up on the rapidly growing Microsoft Silverlight platform.  This has been a good year for Adobe so far.  They have made some of their most innovative products such as the Adobe Air downloadable component.  And it looks like they are going to keep expanding their efforts to remain the leader in the media industry.