Dreamweaver - Frames and Search Engines

Author

Frames and Search Engines

imanartist

2006-02-12, 6:33 pm

Hi everyone
I'm a bit new to this game and would like to know the current thinking on
using frame sets and their acceptance by search engines.
There seems to be a lot of info out there but mostly it is several years old,
which in computer terms is nearly a long time.
Is it still true to say that SE don't read sites with frames.
Thanks for any help

Pablo

2006-02-12, 6:33 pm

>>> Is it still true to say that SE don't read sites with frames

No it's not true.

But

Frames suck :)

I would advise you to stay away from them.

--
Pablo

Web
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http://www.dellwebsites.com
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"imanartist" <webforumsuser@macromedia.com> wrote in message
news:dsdkf8$67j$1@forums.macromedia.com...
> Hi everyone
> I'm a bit new to this game and would like to know the current thinking on
> using frame sets and their acceptance by search engines.
> There seems to be a lot of info out there but mostly it is several years
> old,
> which in computer terms is nearly a long time.
> Is it still true to say that SE don't read sites with frames.
> Thanks for any help
>

Gary White

2006-02-12, 6:34 pm

On Wed, 8 Feb 2006 20:31:36 +0000 (UTC), "imanartist"
<webforumsuser@macromedia.com> wrote:

> Is it still true to say that SE don't read sites with frames.

No. That would be incorrect. Nearly every search engine will index
framed pages. There is an issue, however, in the fact that it will index
the individual pages. If a search turns up one of those pages, the link
will be to that specific page, which will then be opened by itself,
without the other frames that are normally displayed with it. That means
a user would not have the navigation and/or header/footer or whatever
else the other frames display.

Gary

Murray *TMM*

2006-02-12, 6:34 pm

It almost never was true.

But I have personally interviewed all of the search engines and they all
agree that frames suck. 8)

The reason for using or not using frames should be based on a) your site's
needs, and b) your willingness to accept the potential problems that frames
can create for you as developer and maintainer of the site and for your
visitors as casual users of the site.

I am down on frames because I believe that they create many more problems
than they solve.
Judging from the posts here, and the kinds of problems that are described,
the kind of person most likely to elect to use frames is also the kind of
person most likely ill-prepared fo solve the ensuing problems when they
arise. If you feel a) that you understand the problems and b) that you are
prepared to handle them when they occur, and c) that you have a need to use
frames, then by all means use them.

As far as I know, the most comprehensive discussions of frames and their
potential problems can be found on these two links -

http://apptools.com/rants/framesevil.php
http://www.tjkdesign.com/articles/frames/

--
Murray --- ICQ 71997575
Team Macromedia Volunteer for Dreamweaver
(If you *MUST* email me, don't LAUGH when you do so!)
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"imanartist" <webforumsuser@macromedia.com> wrote in message
news:dsdkf8$67j$1@forums.macromedia.com...
> Hi everyone
> I'm a bit new to this game and would like to know the current thinking on
> using frame sets and their acceptance by search engines.
> There seems to be a lot of info out there but mostly it is several years
> old,
> which in computer terms is nearly a long time.
> Is it still true to say that SE don't read sites with frames.
> Thanks for any help
>

darrel

2006-02-12, 6:34 pm

> Is it still true to say that SE don't read sites with frames.

A SE will read anything it can see, so if there is a link to the content, it
should find them.

But, as pablo said, frames suck.

The main issue with search engines is that many people will find your site
from a search engine, but it may link to an internal page. If you load that
internal page by itself, without the frameset, depending on our your page is
designed, the end user might not be able to see your navigation.

Frames also cause problems with boookmarking, printing, etc. and should be
avoided in most instances.

-Darrel