Index Page Design versus Search Engine Ranking

"maflu" <teddymaflu_nospam RemoveThis @fastmail.fm> wrote in message
news:3f9f7489$0$10413$626a54ce@news.free.fr...
 >
 > My question is this: because my index page contains nothing else than a
 > detecting script, will it be a problem for search engine ranking?

If all you have is a script and nothing else then it could be a big
problem... most (if not all) search engine spiders will putter around the
internet with scripting disabled... so if its the only way to get to either
of your pages (the flash one or the non flash one) then something like
Google won't be able to find your site

What would probably be best to do would be to have your entry page with the
flash on it... and a text link at the bottom that says "SKIP INTRO" and goes
right to your site... this way if they don't have flash they will see
nothing or the "download macromedia flash player now..." box and can still
move on to your site...

This does kind of presume that your flash intro is something notable too...
if its just something on the same level as a ball bouncing behind your
logo/site name then thats not really worth wasting people's time with (Seen
a few of them like that... when somebody MUST have flash in the site and all
they get is some hokey little thing and it ends up more being a case of
"What? I sat here and waited 10 seconds for *THIS* to download? What a
waste of my time")<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Index Page Design versus Search Engine Ranking 

maflu wrote:

 > Hello,
 > I have a small Flash animation on my home page so that I designed an
 > index page containing a script detecting whether the visitors have
 > Flash. If they have it, they are sent to the Flash homepage and if they
 > do not have it they are sent to another version of the homepage without
 > Flash animation.
 >
 > My question is this: because my index page contains nothing else than a
 > detecting script, will it be a problem for search engine ranking? Or
 > should I be better off with a "normal" index page containing text and
 > keywords and so on? How important is the index page as far as ranking
 > in seach engines is concerned?
 >
 > Or is there a workaround here to have the best of both worlds?

Just put a link to the non-flash page, and the search engines should
find it. But then most of your search engine visitors will see the
non-flash page.

Best solution: make one page with flash used sparingly for emphasise in
a way such that it degrades gracefully for non-flash/non-graphics browsers.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Index Page Design versus Search Engine Ranking 

Augustus wrote:
 >
 > "maflu" <teddymaflu_nospam.RemoveThis@fastmail.fm> wrote in message
 > news:3f9f7489$0$10413$626a54ce@news.free.fr...
  > >
  > > My question is this: because my index page contains nothing else than a
  > > detecting script, will it be a problem for search engine ranking?
 >
 > If all you have is a script and nothing else then it could be a big
 > problem... most (if not all) search engine spiders will putter around the
 > internet with scripting disabled... so if its the only way to get to either
 > of your pages (the flash one or the non flash one) then something like
 > Google won't be able to find your site
 >
 > What would probably be best to do would be to have your entry page with the
 > flash on it... and a text link at the bottom that says "SKIP INTRO" and goes
 > right to your site... this way if they don't have flash they will see
 > nothing or the "download macromedia flash player now..." box and can still
 > move on to your site...
 >
 > This does kind of presume that your flash intro is something notable too...
 > if its just something on the same level as a ball bouncing behind your
 > logo/site name then thats not really worth wasting people's time with (Seen
 > a few of them like that... when somebody MUST have flash in the site and all
 > they get is some hokey little thing and it ends up more being a case of
 > "What? I sat here and waited 10 seconds for *THIS* to download? What a
 > waste of my time")
 >

your remaining problem is that people will usually want to link to the
index page...that will drive it up the ranking on the SEs for the text
contained in the body of the page...so, in the absence of any serious
relevant text, this gets the site well ranked for "skip intro"

though probably not as well ranked as <http://www.skip-intro.org> a site I
can't bloody read even with it zoomed to 200%...which is pretty typical
for the sort of moronic control freak failed graphic designers that
forever bang on about how useful and usable Flash really is if the rest of
us only understood why it was absolutely essential that we only see the
site if we have exactly the same set up as they do

--
eric
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.ericjarvis.co.uk" target="_blank">www.ericjarvis.co.uk</a>
"live fast, die only if strictly necessary"<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Index Page Design versus Search Engine Ranking 

 >though probably not as well ranked as <http://www.skip-intro.org> a site I
 >can't bloody read even with it zoomed to 200%...which is pretty typical
 >for the sort of moronic control freak failed graphic designers that
 >forever bang on about how useful and usable Flash really is if the rest of
 >us only understood why it was absolutely essential that we only see the
 >site if we have exactly the same set up as they do

hahahaahaha this made me laugh!

Actually, from what I remember skip-intro are a kind of trendy new-meedya
networking thingy that organise pretenshus partteees at trendy locations in
hoxton with 'deejays' playing 'drum and bass'... whatever that is...

IN FACT! GODDAM IT! I'm going to make a point of going to the xmas party
this year, if only to ogle at the girls, of which there are 3 which is damn
site better than my local...

whoa! ... rambling!<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Index Page Design versus Search Engine Ranking