11 replies to this topic

[Carl _GB]

[Moved to Search Engine Friendly Design & Usability.]


I have a new site that I am trying to get listed on the SE, but I am getting conflicting advice, so I seek clarification from "Experts"

To get the best ranking how much plain text should I put on a homepage?

I have an issue where the marketing department dont want any plain text on the home page so I create a index2.html page and put 100 words on the same page and set H1 keywords as headings. I title the page using 4 keywords but keeping it very short. I have a desect set of meta tags keywords and descriptions for whatever they are worth these days.

Throughtout the site links to home page link to index2.html

Am I wasting my time or should I insist we only use the text based copy and ditch the "Pretty" page.

Thanks

Edited by Jill, 18 September 2003 - 10:11 AM.

[razzle]

Hi,

I would put a few more words than 100 on the page. I usually reccomend between 250 - 400 for both the search engines and for usability.

You also need to consider if it is going to confuse visitors to your site that when they click what they think is a link to the original home page they will be given a different page.

If the page you have created is not the first page that a spider will hit when it comes to your root domain then I believe it will not be given the same importance as that index page which isn't optimised

I would ditch the pretty page and put that quality textual content right at the front of your site. Its good for your visitors as well as the search engines!!

Razzle

[air-dog]

Hello All,

Carl _GB, are you talking about a Splash Page for the home page?

I agree razzle.

You also need to consider if it is going to confuse visitors to your site that when they click what they think is a link to the original home page they will be given a different page.

If your marketing department are determined to use a home page without text and you go ahead with a secondary home page then don't call the link to it "homepage".

However, you could give the secondary homepage a suitable name that indicates that it is a landing page of sorts, "introduction", and have the link to it high on the navigation.

There are no rules to say that the home link has to be high on the navigation but make sure its somewhere.

[bwelford]

I wonder whether the Marketing Department really is looking at this question from the right point of view.

I strongly believe you have to put yourself into the mindset of one of your target potential customers who has never heard of your company. Such a visitor lands on your home page from a SERP and quickly wants to decide whether to do some more exploration of this site or click to another. Perhaps they are even using the Google Slide Viewer that shows you the referenced page from each listing and then moves you on to the next after a 3 second delay. So you have a very few seconds to connect with this visitor. I think it is critical to put some text there. For example a slogan that explains why your company can do a better job than the competition.

Once the Marketing Department accepts that there must be some words on that entry page, then I don't think it will be difficult to discuss how many words and what are the pro's and con's of any particular number.

Barry Welford

[compar]

Carl,

I think it very very important to get text content on the home page. Normally the "rule" is the closer to the top of the page the better. However in cases like your's you might consider putting the text below the 'fold'. This is still far better than no text at all.

The search engines do value the index.html page highly so this method is best for them and also solves your other navigation problems.

BTW I agree with Razzle 100 words is normally not enough text to adequately describe your site or in which to adequately use your keyword phrases.

Keep the meta tags. The don't do any harm and do do some good. And make sure you have a strong 'title'.

Good luck

[Scottie]

I just finished an article on splash pages for Jill, based on usability studies and focus groups I have run.

Splash pages are for inflated egos in the company, not for users. IMO, they are user spam. If you must have a splash page, you are telling your visitors that your vanity is more important than their time. Plain and simple.

No one likes them, no one ever watches them more than once, and many people will click "back" before they bother to get to your "real" page.

So, if you must have a splash page, make sure the person who is making that decision understands the consequences- reduced effectiveness of search engine optimization and lost or annoyed visitors. There are no workarounds that will help in the long run- ditch the splash page.

[fred]

Hi

I agree with scottiecl on

Splash pages are for inflated egos in the company, not for users.

my favorite button on a web site is 'skip intro'

and how said that you can't make very nice looking pages using html, dhtml , etc ...

It simply shows that your marketing team have no knowledge or the technology at their disposal to create a beautiful and effective web page.

I would ditch the splash page for sure.

[SearchRank]

Unfortunately a lot of marketing departments are thinking in "print" - "radio" - "television" mode and not the web. They simply have to be educated, some at the school of hard knocks. Once they see that the pretty splash page is not helping people find the site in the search engines, it will probably go.

Good luck with your battle!

[compar]

my favorite button on a web site is 'skip intro'

Yes and you even resent this. Why the hell should I have to click to get to the information. The Internet was billed as the information high -- show me the meat!

[Jill]

Unfortunately a lot of marketing departments are thinking in "print" - "radio" - "television" mode and not the web.

Print and TV can't get away with no words either! And radio? hehehe...all words there.

No matter what the medium, you kinda need words to get your point across. There's rarely a time when a picture paints a thousand words!

Jill

[SearchRank]

Print and TV can't get away with no words either! And radio? hehehe...all words there. - Jill

I guess I should have said "conventional advertising."

True TV, radio and print need words but what I meant to paint a picture of is that these means of advertising have to try to "grab" ones attention whereas on search engines, people are actively looking and seeking.

Take some of the Nike commercials - long drawn out commercials of different scenarios and at the end the words "Just Do It - Nike." We'll I think of these as a splash screen with no words. Now we all know who Nike is and they can get away with it but I have seen other similar types of commercials that I didn't know the brand and after you see them you are like - What was that?

The beauty of SEM is that people are looking for you. You just have to make sure they can find you. Wonderful form of marketing.

[BrianR]

Carl GB

Been there and understand your pain!

If the suits in marketing won't understand and you have to bow to corporate ego, the best compromise is:

1. Text below the fold, as Compar suggested, and...

2. A site map so that you can get other pages listed and ranked for the important keywords.

BrianR