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For years, when people thought about
search engine optimization, in all likelihood, gateway pages, doorway pages or
informational pages probably came to mind. If you're a search engine
optimization specialist, you've probably had clients requesting that you create
these types of pages for them.They may believe the following statements to be
true:
Every search engine has a different algorithm (formula) to determine the ranking
of a Web page, and therefore none of their "regular" pages will rank highly in
all of the engines.
Keyword-rich copy that the search engines will like is not text they can visibly
put on their site where people can see it, especially not on their front page!
Our site needs to be on the cutting edge and use Flash animation and/or lots of
graphics. Since the search engines can't index these very well, I have to use
gateway pages.
Business sites need to be on the cutting edge and use Flash animation and/or
lots of graphics, and they shouldn't have to change this just to please the
search engines.
Although there is a grain of truth to each of the above, let's examine each
point in more detail so you'll have some ammunition the next time you get this
type of request.
Yes, it's true, search engine algorithms are varied and do change. There will
always be SEOs who spend many hours poring over search engine results and
statistics, trying to figure out each search engine's current formula for high
rankings. There have been many software programs written over the years to help
crack the algorithms and automatically generate high-ranking pages for each
engine.
One of the problems with using this method is that as soon as a new algorithm is
in place, these carefully crafted gateway pages will often drop out of sight in
the rankings. The new algorithm must be cracked again, and new gateway pages
must be created. It's truly a never-ending, time-consuming and expensive process
that is very much against the best-practice guidelines put forth by the search
engines.
The truth is that even though search engines do have slightly different
algorithms (and they do change them at times), basically all engines appreciate
the same things that real people look for in a Web site:
A simple, cleanly coded design
Well-thought-out, intuitive navigation
Well-written, descriptive copy
Titles and Meta tags that help identify relevant keyword phrases
Links that accurately describe what can be found at the site.
It's really just common sense. Web sites with the above features don't need to
crack algorithms. These sites have the potential to achieve high rankings for
many keyword phrases in all major search engines for many years, regardless of
ever-changing algorithms. And more importantly, they will likely be a hit with
their site visitors.
Clients (and even some SEOs) often justify the use of doorways and gateways by
claiming that there's a difference between good copy for search engines and good
copy for their site visitors. That is simply not true. Good marketing copy can
be written that sounds great, stresses the benefits to the user and also
utilizes keyword phrases. There's definitely an art to it, and you have to be a
good copywriter to begin with, but it most definitely can be done. The key is to
use a professional copywriter, not an SEO, for that aspect of the job.
Over and over again we hear from companies that want high rankings and lots of
traffic and sales, yet refuse to forfeit their LUGs (large useless graphics) and
Flash animation in favor of good content. Unfortunately, these pages don't give
the search engines much to go by when trying to determine what the site is all
about. This forces the engines to figure things out solely based on the Title
tags and the links. That may be enough in some cases, but the best indicator of
what a site is about is through the content on its pages. Now, it's true that
some search engines have started reading the content of Flash files, but there's
generally not much "meat" contained in the ones I've seen!
Never forget that the ultimate goal of most business Web sites is to sell a
product or a service. When you see a Flash presentation on a site, does that
make you want to purchase their products or use their services? Sure, it might
appear cool the first time you view it, but thereafter it only serves as an
annoying distraction and/or waste of time. And if you're on a dial-up modem (yes
there are still some left!), you probably don't want to wait around to view it.
Besides, you can have your cake and eat it too by simply using small amounts of
Flash in appropriate places, along with your great content.
When all is said and done, most people would rather be presented with
information on the types of products or services offered in clear, concise
language, right on the main page of the site they're visiting. Luckily for us,
that's exactly what the search engines want to see as well!
You don't need a second (or third or fourth) site for SEO purposes. Those
companies that are willing to create useful content within the pages of their
Web site can very often own long-term high rankings. Plus, they won't have to
rely on link popularity as much as the low/no-content sites have to.
In years past, convincing companies of this fact was one of the most difficult
jobs we had to do. Thankfully, as the Web matures, more and more site owners are
discovering that their fancy, cutting-edge sites don't convert as well as the
competitor's informational site that gets right down to business. It's usually
at that point that they become more receptive to doing what it takes to make
their site the best it can be for their visitors as well as the search engines.
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