Frames and Search Engines

jimmyrix · 02-11-2005, 07:47 AM

Hi! This is my first post. Great resource you have here. I have been reading different topics here for a while now with interest. I have a question that I can't resolve and I figured that someone much wiser than myself could help me out with it.

I have been doing some reading but I am still really confused as to whether search engine spiders can index pages that are in frames..For example, this site uses frames:

http://www.co.wise.tx.us

So, can a spider follow the html page links off the home page and index the whole site or will the spider get held up on the home page by the presence of the frames?

Johan007 · 02-11-2005, 09:27 AM

Your index page is fine as long as you have a noframes tag. It will index pages like this with no naviagtion or header:

http://www.co.wise.tx.us/
http://www.co.wise.tx.us/departments.htm
http://www.co.wise.tx.us/CommCourt.htm
http://www.co.wise.tx.us/Downloads.htm
http://www.co.wise.tx.us/CommCourt.htm

You could use server side includes to replace frames. Server side includes are easier than setting up a frames. Use Google or search this forum to find out how:

http://www.v7n.com/forums/showthread...+side+includes

http://www.v7n.com/forums/showthread...+side+includes

http://www.v7n.com/forums/showthread...+side+includes

jimmyrix · 02-13-2005, 02:05 PM

Thanks Johan007...that clarified things for me...I suppose then it is best just to generate html pages since that will ensure that when it is indexed, the navigation and header will be included.

Johan007 · 02-14-2005, 03:07 AM

... Yes its best to have 1 page with Server Side Includes so you donâ€™t have to repeat menus, banner codes, footer links, headers or even the whole style. With some basic programming you can store variables and never have to repeat a single line of code.

Good luck.

Jason · 02-14-2005, 04:04 AM

I thought frames were bad for search engines?

Shawn · 02-14-2005, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason

I thought frames were bad for search engines?

They are..for optimization purposes.

Johan007 · 02-15-2005, 02:38 AM

Frames are bad because:

1) It increases bandwidth (it takes 4 pages to draw the first page on a 3 frame page).

2) They give you bad stats (4 page impressions are given when the first page is loaded on a 3 frame site)

3) They require complex JS or annoying redirect to the homage to force the navigation on.

4) You cant bookmark a page.

5) The navigation provides only 1 "text link" where Server Side Include navigation provides as many "text links" as pages.

imaginemn · 02-15-2005, 08:36 AM

If you have frameset A (frameset code) with page B (navigation) and page C (content). A SE can spider and will index all three pages.

The problem with this that if a user finds page B on a SE then they would only see the navigation and nothing else. If the user finds page C then they would only see the content without any navigation. And finally if the person finds page A then all is well.

You could potentially run into the same issue with Server Side includes UNLESS you have all your include files in a specific folder that is not being indexed by the spiders via robots.txt. Just search "header.htm" or "footer.htm" to see what I am talking about.

SE's are getting smarter everyday. They are all trying to out perform each other. In other words it's a moving target. Design with the USER in mind not the SE. You could have all your pages optimized and get plenty of traffic and if the user experience is bad, you would be better off not found at all.

imaginemn