 Is Text Better Than Images In The Header?, Is text better than images in the header |
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High Rankings Search Engine Optimization Forum > Search Engine Optimization > Search Engine Friendly Design & Usability  |
  Apr 19 2004, 10:20 PM
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HR 2  Group: Active Members Posts: 48 Joined: 19-April 04 User's local time: Feb 10 2010, 02:13 AM From: Brisbane, QLD Member No.: 3,279  |
I've been doing a bit of reading up on XHTML, CSS, web standards etc lately which seem to suggest that valid markup has an impact on search rankings.
Some articles I've read say that you should use text instead of images wherever possible because search engines can't read images. Elsewhere I've read that you should try and code your page so that the <H1> tag of your document, which should also match the page's <title> appears as close to the <body> tag as possible, which I would guess would involve some creative CSS positioning (when I get around to redesigning our site). So my question is in two parts:
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Apr 19 2004, 10:41 PM
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#2
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 HR 7  Group: Moderator Posts: 1,980 Joined: 24-July 03 User's local time: Feb 9 2010, 10:13 AM From: Minneapolis, MN Member No.: 16 |
Welcome, Tyssen. (IMG:http://www.highrankings.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/bye1.gif)
I wouldn't worry about the structure of your page. That's overrated. But using text rather than graphics for your headers is definitely beneficial for SEO, and it can save you a ton of time wasted on creating header graphics. I'd much rather control the header formatting from the CSS file than have to make dozens or hundreds of new header images to update the site for a new color scheme. |
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Apr 19 2004, 10:52 PM
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#3
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 Psycho Mom  Group: Admin Posts: 6,124 Joined: 21-July 03 User's local time: Feb 9 2010, 12:13 PM From: Columbia, SC Member No.: 3 |
Welcome to the forum, Tyssen! (IMG:http://www.highrankings.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/bye1.gif)
Spiders crawl graphic links fine, but you lose the opportunity to "tell" the se what that page is about. The alt attribute may or may not replace that link text; it seems to depend on the engine or the day of the week! But the link still counts and sends it's portion of PR on to that page. So if you like the graphics, use them! If you can lose them and replace with text, it's a good idea. Definitely use alt attributes... I recently was on a slow dial-up connection and turned off images in order to speed things up and many sites were not navigable because their links were graphics with no alts. Also, consider adding text links in the footer to help spiders AND those people browsing from slow connections or mobile devices. |
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Apr 19 2004, 11:10 PM
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#4
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HR 2 Group: Active Members Posts: 48 Joined: 19-April 04 User's local time: Feb 10 2010, 02:13 AM From: Brisbane, QLD Member No.: 3,279 |
Thanks for the replies guys and for the tips too. (IMG:http://www.highrankings.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/thumbup1.gif)
I guess the reason I'm hesitant to use text for header graphics is become I double as a print designer for my company and like to have access to a wide collection of fonts and don't like the idea of my headers displaying differently depending on the fonts a user has installed. Does anyone know of a list of fonts that are common to all OSes? |
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Apr 19 2004, 11:15 PM
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#5
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HR 2 Group: Active Members Posts: 48 Joined: 19-April 04 User's local time: Feb 10 2010, 02:13 AM From: Brisbane, QLD Member No.: 3,279 |
Just thought of something else: does symantic/semantic markup play a part in SEO or is it purely for browser interpretation?
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Apr 19 2004, 11:44 PM
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 High Rankings Advisor Group: Admin Posts: 29,199 Joined: 21-July 03 User's local time: Feb 9 2010, 11:13 AM From: Ashland, MA Member No.: 2 |
Headers as in headlines, are a great place to naturally use keyword phrases. But it's no biggie if you have yours graphical.
Just make sure you utilize the keyword phrases elsewhere on the page. And it's fine to also use graphical navigation. The Web is very graphical, and most sites use some form of that. Obviously, since most sites use it, it can't be a problem or the engines would be excluding most sites on the Web! Jill |
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Apr 20 2004, 03:09 AM
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 HR 5 Group: Active Members Posts: 385 Joined: 29-January 04 User's local time: Feb 9 2010, 06:13 PM From: Cape Town, South Africa Member No.: 2,171 |
QUOTE Does anyone know of a list of fonts that are common to all OSes? Verdana, Genevia, Tahoma and Arial seem to be available on almost all platforms. I usually test sites on a PC and Mac and the graphic designer in my office uses a Mac, he would be the first one to complain if the text doesn't look right. Bernhard |
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Apr 20 2004, 04:28 AM
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 HR 5 Group: Active Members Posts: 434 Joined: 7-December 03 User's local time: Feb 9 2010, 12:13 PM From: Brooklin, Ontario. Formerly of Plymouth, UK Member No.: 1,562 |
QUOTE(bkernst @ Apr 20 2004, 04:09 AM) and the graphic designer in my office uses a Mac, he would be the first one to complain if the text doesn't look right. Bernhard those Mac guys are everywhere! |
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Apr 20 2004, 10:54 PM
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#9
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 HR 3 Group: Active Members Posts: 50 Joined: 26-March 04 User's local time: Feb 9 2010, 12:13 PM From: Northwest Indiana Member No.: 3,048 |
QUOTE(Tyssen @ Apr 20 2004, 12:10 AM) Thanks for the replies guys and for the tips too. (IMG:http://www.highrankings.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/thumbup1.gif) I guess the reason I'm hesitant to use text for header graphics is become I double as a print designer for my company and like to have access to a wide collection of fonts and don't like the idea of my headers displaying differently depending on the fonts a user has installed. Does anyone know of a list of fonts that are common to all OSes? Here's a link to a partial list of browser-safe fonts (there are other lists available when you search "browser-safe fonts"): http://prestwood.com/community/webmaster/i...safe_fonts.html Here's a very interesting article on how visitors perceive fonts: http://psychology.wichita.edu/surl/usabili...ews/3S/font.htm Happy reading (IMG:http://www.highrankings.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) |
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Apr 21 2004, 02:30 AM
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#10
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 HR 3 Group: Active Members Posts: 58 Joined: 24-July 03 User's local time: Feb 10 2010, 03:13 AM From: Melbourne, Australia Member No.: 25 |
QUOTE(Tyssen @ Apr 20 2004, 02:10 PM) I guess the reason I'm hesitant to use text for header graphics is become I double as a print designer for my company and like to have access to a wide collection of fonts and don't like the idea of my headers displaying differently depending on the fonts a user has installed. Does anyone know of a list of fonts that are common to all OSes? For any body text I'd highly recommend you stick to the standard fonts mentioned here. Also keep in mind that how readable a font is on screen is very different to in printed material. Verdana was designed for screen reading because of that. |
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Apr 21 2004, 04:54 PM
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#11
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HR 2 Group: Active Members Posts: 48 Joined: 19-April 04 User's local time: Feb 10 2010, 02:13 AM From: Brisbane, QLD Member No.: 3,279 |
QUOTE(sanity @ Apr 21 2004, 03:30 AM) For any body text I'd highly recommend you stick to the standard fonts mentioned here. Also keep in mind that how readable a font is on screen is very different to in printed material. Verdana was designed for screen reading because of that. I always use Verdana for my body text - I was thinking more about fonts for header graphics etc. |
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Apr 22 2004, 03:21 AM
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#12
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HR 3 Group: Active Members Posts: 58 Joined: 24-July 03 User's local time: Feb 10 2010, 03:13 AM From: Melbourne, Australia Member No.: 25 |
QUOTE(Tyssen @ Apr 22 2004, 07:54 AM) I always use Verdana for my body text - I was thinking more about fonts for header graphics etc. Do you mean for navigation options or more for logos and the like? |
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