Promoting your website with
Search Engine Optimization

Web Design & Search Engine Ranking

 

The search engine robots have trouble interpreting certain types of web programming, such as javascripts, pages dynamically generated from a database, flash files, and frames, to name a few – anything that is not straight text. If the robot can’t read the information, it hinders the optimization of your site, affecting the search engine ranking. However, there are work-arounds for these issues.

 

Dynamic Content & Dynamic URLs

As websites have evolved, so has their content delivery. Many websites use static web pages to deliver their content, and the search engine robots have a straightforward crawl through those pages. Search engine ranking is possible with a static web page because the content that is delivered to the web browser is the same as it is on the web server.

 

Dynamic sites have vast quantities of data that change on a regular basis, so they are integrated with databases, which load content on the fly as the page is requested from the server.

 

Dynamic pages are difficult to promote because the content varies, which confuses the search engine crawlers. In other words, the same URL can contain different pages because those pages are constantly being automatically updated within a period of minutes.

 

The search engines robots typically re-index a URL every few weeks, and if a site’s content is being updated every few minutes, there is a huge lapse in the information being optimized and the information actually appearing on the page. This lapse in content will affect the search engine ranking of a website because the information being ranked my not be the information on the page.

 

The URLs of dynamic pages have characters that are not alphanumeric and have a ? in the address.

 

    http://www.dynamicpageexample.com/someText?someText=1

 

A web page with a URL like this would not be indexed by the search engine crawlers for fear that they would get stuck in the site indefinitely with no clear path out. What the search engine robots want is to be able to index unique content coming from its own unique, static URL.

 

  • Include interior pages that contain static content and static urls and focus your optimization on those pages. Have these pages link to the dynamic pages.
  • Use static URLs to reference the dynamic content. This is done through the programming language used to implement the dynamic web site.
  • Create a site map on a static web page, and include links to the dynamic web pages from there.
  • This is a situation where Paid Inclusion is a viable form of search engine marketing. Paid inclusions works differently from search engine optimization, where you can pay and get a guarantee that your site and the pages you specify will be included in those specific paid sections of the search engines. Keep in mind that paid inclusion can be very costly, and requires an additional monthly budget.

 

Flash

Since flash sites are based on graphic content, there is no place for keyword search phrases to be used in search engine optimization. While the search engines are starting to be able to read the content within flash files, it is still a new technology and not as effective as text based content.

 

Some people have used gateway or splash pages to redirect to the flash file. However, some search engines regard this type of page as spam, and having one can actually hurt your site.

 

  • Before you design your Flash based website, it is a very good idea to research and evaluate if that is what your target audience really wants.
  • Include an html based version of the site and optimize that version for the search engines.
  • Create flash movies within your html based website, so that they are a part of the site, but not the entire site.

 

Frames

Frames, are a compilation of various sized windows pieced together through html code to look like a single entity. Though no longer all the rage, Frames are still used occasionally.

 

Because they are a collection of disjointed html files, they are difficult to index, and if a search engine robot sees a <frames> tag, it will ignore the content – or link - inside of that tag.

 

    Add the <no frames> tag between the <body> tags and inside it place links to the rest of the web pages, like a small site map.

 

iFrames

iFrames are embedded windows within a web page. And, while they can look good, they are impediment to search engine optimization because most robots do not like to follow the links that lead into the pages inside frame. If you have important content inside of the frame, chances are that it will not get indexed.

 

  • Use the descript attribute in the iFrame tag. This attribute will lead the crawler to an html page featuring the content that needs to be optimized.
  • Do not place any content that you want optimized in the web page inside of a frame.

 

Javascripts

Complicated javascripts, especially those used in creating menus and links can hinder a search engine robot’s ability to index a web site because the links are hidden inside of the javascript.

 

Some search engines are reluctant to index links surrounded by javascript because some web sites have abused javascript, using as a vehicle for spam with pop up windows and redirects.

 

  • Include a text based menu at the bottom of each web page.
  • Weave links to other pages in your site into your text.
  • Include a site map in your website.
  • Place text links in a <nosrcipt> tag – however be aware that some search engines do not acknowledge this tag due to abusive practices of hiding extra text and keywords within this tag.