22 replies to this topic

[normd]

I have submitted http://devonianstone.com to Google, dmoz.org and a bunch of other SE's months ago. So far I have not been picked up. Interestingly, my design site, which has a link to devonianstone.com ranks #1 when I type in "devonian stone".

Are the lead-in pages or the lack of content on the home page hurting us?

Norm

[Jill]

Hi Normd, welcome!

Until your site is actually listed in some directories such as DMOZ, Google won't pick it up. Having the link from your site is good, but is Google yet aware of that link? Submitting to DMOZ is also good, but is it listed yet?

Try submitting to the numerous other directories out there to build up your link popularity, and eventually Google will find your site and add it to its database.

Once you've had enough posts under your belt here, you can also submit it for a site review in our site review section.

Good luck!

Jill

[normd]

Thanks for your feedback. My site comes up #1 when I type in a search string for my client's site. I am well ranked on Google, but cannot get this client's site ranked.

I was wondering if the into pages are preventing the engines from finding content. There is plenty of content, just not on the index and home pages. I even made sure I used many of your tips in "The Nitty-gritty....".

Norm
webmaster
http://devonianstone.com

[BrianR]

Norm

As long as you have html links from your home page to the inner pages and/or a site map, the SEs will be able to find your content-rich pages even if the home page is light on copy. But, as Jill said, it is important to be in one or more of the directories.

However, I believe that flash intro pages can cause problems with the SEs (at least, they used to) and likewise frames, but I'll leave that to more expert forum members to comment on.

In fact, we have had other threads on frames - can't remember where, but try the forum's search function.

Also, Jill has loads of useful info in her back catalogue of newsletters on www.highrankings.com

Hope this helps.

BrianR

[BrianR]

Norm

Just had a very quick look at your source code and, unless I'm mistaken (could be, as I'm not fluent in html!), your pages don't have a title metatag.

Although you have both description and keyword tags, I can't see a title tag. This is the single most important tag, which needs to include your top two keyphrases from the page.

BrianR (also learning SEO - slowly!)

[Jill]

Normr, you can put your name and link in a signature so you don't have to type it each time. Just click on the "My Controls" link at the top of the page and you should be able to find the signature field to fill out.



Jill

[normd]

Hmm. Maybe I am missing something.

Each page has a <title>Architectural Natural Blue Stone for Patios Countertops Tile</title>

Do I need a meta tag as well?

Norm

[BrianR]

Norm

No, you're not missing anything - I am!

This is what happens when it gets late and you're trying to read html while a cat is insistently clawing your leg!

Sorry, your pages do indeed have titles.

BrianR

[compar]

Norm,

Have you ever used the Sim Spider tool. It will show you exactly what the search engine spider see when it crawls your page. In the case of the page you are asking about there is not only no content on the home page -- it is all flash -- there is also only one link on it which leads to an interior page. And that link says "skip intro".

Have you considered putting more site navigation on this page? Have you considered using a site map which is linked back and forth from this home page.

You do have a title on this page but it is weak in my opinion -- what keyword phrase does it include?

I'd probably can the flash -- although I agree it looks nice -- and write some serious content telling what the company is all about and put that along with complete site navigation links on the index page. Google will find you and index you in two weeks if you do that.

Edited by compar, 13 September 2003 - 05:30 PM.

[BrianR]

Norm

If you take up compar's good suggestion and want to test your current home page against a compar version, you could try paid-for-inclusion on Inktomi.

If I remember rightly, Inktomi crawls PFI pages on a 48 hour cycle, so leave the flash version up for a week and note the traffic, then swop the home pages and leave compar version up for a week.

That will give you a rough indication of the quantity and quality of traffic each version of the home page will generate.

BrianR

[Denyse]

I submitted a client's site to DMOZ on May 5th and it was finally picked up at the end of August (La toile du Québec took another two weeks beyond that) - so patience appears to be an SEO's most important attribute.

[Denyse]

A question to the pros. Can you put a Flash movie into a layer? Because if you can, could the text be moved to a layer with a higher z-index on top of the Flash, and therefore readable for the SEs

[Jill]

That is something that some sites do, Denyse. It's not something Google would take kindly to (I would guess) because the user sees something different than the engines see. Doesn't mean it wouldn't work, however. At least temporarily.

Jill

[normd]

What about putting a no script section linking to the rest of the site pages?

How do all those sites with flash intros get into SE's?

Norm

[Jill]

Hi Norm, I believe the correct html to use is the noembed tag. That's fine to do. Just gotta keep the information consistent with what is in the flash movie.

Jill