search engine lacks patience

[usbnuts]

I just hire a web designer to redo our website template. We are still in brainstorming process. However, I stumbled upon a site called Travelago, http://www.travelago.com/, and I was wondering about something. Search engines read from top to bottom from a HTML file, right? This particular website has a bunch of graphics (logo and menu) before the text. When spidering, SEs will have to go through all those <IMG> codes before reaching the keyword revelant text, and they may not have the patience to read through everything. Will this kind of arrangement ignore by the search engines?

[ihelpyou]

YEP. You are correct.

Other problems this site has are:

Lots of javascript in between the head tags that should be put into an external js file.

A drop down menu at the start that spiders have to wade thru first. They could get lost and leave the site before indexing.

ALso, not enough content (words) on the page. Lots of links not using keywords in them.

Many things wrong.

[ihelpyou]

To clarify,

Spiders read from top to down but read first from left table down and then back up and down in the second table and so on.

[usbnuts]

True True...

I won't make the same mistake they made.

I usually put all my javascripts into a seperate file.

Also, if you take a look at my site, you will see text menu on top and on the left. I suppose spiders will well spider those words first before reaching my content. If true, spiders will see the same thing on every page of my site, because all my pages are formatted in the same fashion.

I hope the IMAGE menu thing like Travelago will help.

What do you think?

[ihelpyou]

They have a hard time reading image maps. If I were you, make sure you have regular text links at the bottom leading to all your pages. Put keyord phrases in them. You are always better off to have regular text first spidered before any links or menu or graphics.

Further, the site in your profile needs a lot more content. Links are fine but content is most important for ranks.

[usbnuts]

Alright. Thanks for your help.

My site in the profile has lots of content, IMO.
If those links are not good enough, what is? A homepage is supposed to be a hub to all your pages on a site. It doesn't need a lot of content, does it?

[ihelpyou]

Yes it does. The home page is most important to the engines. It should have at least 200 words on it or more if possible. You could always throw in a paragraph or two at the bottom describing the site and using some choice keyword phrases in it.

Hubs are good but to get good ranks you need keyword phrases on the page. Make sure your links have your keyword phrases in them also.

[usbnuts]

Thanks for your advice. I will add some text describing my site in my site redesign.

BTW, do you provide SEO service? I am not talking about submitting site to 9000 trillion search engines. I am talking about analyzing my site for good keyphrases and making recommendations on how to increase site ranking and etc.

It's pretty much like what the gals do at rankwrite.com, but they charge A LOT.

[ihelpyou]

Yep. At the Url in my signature. I do not know what RankWrite charges but do know they are good. I also know I am a little inexpensive for what I do but price does go up constantly.

[Advisor]

Hey...I resemble that remark!

Jill :eek:

[ihelpyou]

Okay then, the gals at RankWrite are not good, ... they are great! :king:

[Advisor]

No, it was the charge a lot remark. But hey...if the shoe fits...and truly, you do often get what you pay for.

Interestingly enough, when I used to charge next to nothing, I lost tons of jobs because of it. Big companies wouldn't take me seriously. Thought I must not be good. Go figure.

Jill

[ihelpyou]

Yeppers... I agree.

This is why I prefer to cater to small/medium web sites. If my price was too high, they would not contact me.

Though, have to say, price keeps going up and probably inching up steadily to where you are.

[Advisor]

Then I'll just have to double mine again! LOL

Just call me LookSmart Jill

[ihelpyou]

Shouldn't that be ..... Look Smart Jill ? :D

[usbnuts]

Jill and Doug,

Even if you are joking, please don't even think about increasing the price. I'm about to make a decision where to get my SEO. The looksmart thing is a enough headache for me.

[Blue]

Hi Jill and all,

Concerning your "Interestingly enough.....Go figure" statement above, here's a little trivia of possible interest.

PT Barnum, the originator of the "S U C K E R born every minute" maxim, was generally believed to be the premier promotions expert of his time. Others called him "just the best scam artist". Well, in reality, he was really quite ingenious. I highly recommend reading any material on him that you can. His story is quite fascinating.

Anyway, he also strongly believed that if you price something too low, people will not give it much value, and many others have followed with that reasoning with great success, including Col. Tom Parker (Elvis' manager, who received up until his recent demise a whopping 50% royalties on EVERYthing relating to Elvis).

One of PT Barnums' more interesting "scams" was to sell tickets to a tent show (worlds hairiest lady, pig with two heads, etc.). As soon as the spectators were comfortably seated and engrossed in the show inside the tent, he instructed his roustabouts to copiously spread manure (of which any circus has large quantities) around the exit to the tent. Then, as the show let out, those whom did not wish to get SH** on their shoes, could purchase a ride on a donkey to the safety of the dirt beyond the manure area.

Another scam he was famous for, was to hawk "SEE THE DANCING CHICKENS", which he charged an entry fee to a show that was made up of two sets of adjoining cages, the first of which held chickens only (this is where the show started) and the second of which the chickens were herded into, it's flooring was made up of plugged-in hot plates. You can, I'm sure, envision what those chickens looked like on the hot plates.

And that, kiddies, is your trivia for the day. :)

[Advisor]

And is that how Colonel Sanders got his start? hehehe I can just smell those dancing chickens as we speak! Just put those 17 secret spices on 'em and eat 'em right up!

Jill :4:

[JuniorHarris]

Extra crispy is my flavour!~

[BillMurray]

Hey Doug
Heard some dialogue about LookSmart. Help me out - what is LookSmart and how does it benefit a web site? We're just learning about all this. Thanks

[ihelpyou]

Hey Bill,.... that is a big question. :)

Here is the Looksmart forum where you should read some threads:
http://www.ihelpyouservices.com/forums/f12/sfff0ea48cb076fde87fa2e6b84e6ffd5

Basically, Looksmart is a directory just like Yahoo that you need to get into. On MSN.com, the first results shown are the Looksmart listings as long as the search term is popular enough.

Also, Looksmart is a good link to have to get good ranks with Google.

The big 3 directories...Looksmart, ODP, and Yahoo are all very important to get into.

[jimi_l]

THATS WHY so many pages all have seeming redundant text links at the bottom of that page!! I allways wondered about that.