Search Engine Optimisation for Every page

[cdicken]

In your brochure fragments, when using the link feature, rather than using the 'Product' or 'Section' drop downs, use the 'URL' field and enter the full URL of the section page you want to link to. e.g.

http://www.theglowcompany.co.uk/acatalog/GLOW_IN_THE_DARK_PAINT.html

These links will be perfectly fine for search engines.

You could also include a fragment which points to http://www.theglowcompany.co.uk/acatalog/sitemap.html which will allow spiders to access all pages.

[pinbrook]

This is normal behaviour of the login link. The way to take people into the store and login is to create a brochure fragment on your home page that says something like 'Log in and enter the store'. Make the URL of the fragment link something like:

http://your.URL/cgi-bin/ss00000x.pl?...D=index%2ehtml

Naturally replacing http://your.URL/cgi-bin/ss00000x.pl with the URL of your ss00000 script.

This will take people to the front page of the store and log them in on the way.


__________________
Cheers

Chris Dicken
Actinic Software

Hi chris

I've hijacked this quote from another thread this one

This is the issue that I have with actinic and search engines. A search engine can not get past this link

It is ok for us who are familiar with SE optimisation, but the majority of "shop in a box" users will use this as their enter the store and wonder why they can't get listed

[theglowcompany]

Chris,

I have put the full URL in the fragment - this is the issue.

I did try to just to point it to a section - that didnty work (tho it should!) so I put them as a full URL and that doesnt - my web host puts the links in 'behind' the textt links.

The links are up at the moment as my web chap has put them in place.

I use this tool http://www.searchengineworld.com/cgi-bin/sim_spider.cgi

to check my links (I have used others as well with the same results)

I am a bit flummoxed why this hasnt been addressed & without a little bit of understanding of the SE's Actinic customers are going to fail miserably.

I am having to have my template rediesigned (at a cost!) to address this situation - although we will also make other changes as the front page possibilities are a bit poor

[webyourbusiness]

Originally posted by theglowcompany
I am a bit flummoxed why this hasnt been addressed & without a little bit of understanding of the SE's Actinic customers are going to fail miserably.

Not being funny, but Actinic's tools provide ANY store owner the BEST possible tools for search engine optimization of ANY e-commerce tool we've found - and we've been looking HARD for more than 5 years.

The biggest problems with stores come from a lack of completion of descriptions, meta description and meta keywords (yes, I know most engines don't factor them heavily - I am a search engine optimization professional - but the next biggest failing comes from the actual naming of the pages.

example:

we setup a store for two brothers who were starting their own car performance shop - they wanted to sell the modifications they use online as the market here in the US is huge... really HUGE.

So we setup the store categories and trained them to input the products (past base products they provided which we used for training purposes).

Their setup was ranking #1 or right under it for search phrases WITHOUT PRODUCTS -and still is in Google - e.g.

Google for toyota supra superchargers or dodge viper superchargers or any one of a thousand searches which ARE their sub-section names, or pagenames, and you WILL find them:


dodge viper superchargers

toyota supra superchargers

It is not the job of Actinic (the company) to teach would be store owners how to setup their store for optimum search engine results - it can be done with a little research, or by hiring a professional consultant or firm of consultants.

What on earth do you expect for your licence fee? Actinic should bring buyers with open wallets to your door?

I think a modicum of common sense goes a long way in setting up a business, online or offline - unfortunately, the internet has attracted a lot of people without that pre-requisite for success - drawn by stories of untold riches made by mere accidents in the early days - these "business owners" would either fall by the way-side, or succeed over time in the real world - let alone the internet.

Don't blame Actinic - it's just a tool!

[pinbrook]

Not being funny, but Actinic's tools provide ANY store owner the BEST possible tools for search engine optimization of ANY e-commerce tool we've found - and we've been looking HARD for more than 5 years

I totally agree with this statement....and in order to properly optimise your site you do need to know what you are doing. Indeed I have a client who has complety redesigned this store (with my advise) to get it search engine friendly.

I just have the the one big beef at the mo which is the use of http://your.URL/cgi-bin/ss00000x.pl...ID=index%2ehtml as a link from the brochure index page to acatalog/index.html. it is used on the "product" link and unwitting users are also using it as the main "enter the site" link. Search engines can't get past it.

If catalog is going to remain the BEST ecommerce store for SEO, then this link needs to be addressed

[webyourbusiness]

Originally posted by pinbrook
I totally agree with this statement....and in order to properly optimise your site you do need to know what you are doing. Indeed I have a client who has complety redesigned this store (with my advise) to get it search engine friendly.

I just have the the one big beef at the mo which is the use of http://your.URL/cgi-bin/ss00000x.pl...ID=index%2ehtml as a link from the brochure index page to acatalog/index.html. it is used on the "product" link and unwitting users are also using it as the main "enter the site" link. Search engines can't get past it.

If catalog is going to remain the BEST ecommerce store for SEO, then this link needs to be addressed

We address it - we create STATIC links to all the major sections in the store using alternative, hard coded navigation (there was a good example at redline motorsports until the site owners decided to let their graphic design buddy play with it - [!@$!%!%%!%!!!%(!(!*!* !*!%$&*)!@].

You have a limitation there, but isn't there ALWAYS an alternative path for spiders to follow - I thought there was - just because one link is "dynamic" doesn't mean you have an SEO disaster on your hands.

Greg

[pinbrook]

Greg,

We both are agreeing here, even though we appear not to be.

My point revolves around the site written by "shop out of a box" user. The one who does not employ a professional.

some search engines only want you to submit the top level URL. if you do this with the
http://your.URL/cgi-bin/ss00000x.pl...ID=index%2ehtml

the SE can get no further into the site

[theglowcompany]

The comments from you both are valid & I am having good successes with SEO on google.

But you have picked up on an off the cuff remark & not commented on the issue I was explaining - (look above) the fact that the spiders are not picking up the links from my front page to other pages & that my web host puts these in place for me 'behind' the links I have in place (they are up at the moment)

I'd really like to resolve this one as it is causing problems as I have to minimise the number of updates I do to my site.

Please help

[pinbrook]

But you have picked up on an off the cuff remark & not commented on the issue I was explaining - (look above) the fact that the spiders are not picking up the links from my front page to other pages & that my web host puts these in place for me 'behind' the links I have in place (they are up at the moment)

I am confused, I don't understand what you mean when you say your webhosts are putting links in behind.

I've looked at your index page and most of your links are going to the acatalog pages - that to me is what should be happening and thus Google will follow

[theglowcompany]

Hi Jo,

I will upload my catalog - this will remove the links that my host puts in as I mentioned.

To check my links I used a spider on www.searchengineworld.com & whilst they do appear at the moment they will not be there after I update.

I noticed Gooogle hadnt picked up a number of changes 7 additions I hade made after a 'dance' & tracked it down to these links not being in place.

Will update now - may take 5 mins - but would appreciate your comments & observations.

Thanks

[theglowcompany]

Update complete - links have gone

Spider shows:

http://acatalog/links.html

http://www.theglowcompany.co.uk/cgi-...html&NOLOGIN=1

http://www.wrexham-internet.co.uk/


no other links

[pinbrook]

right........................I now understand!! but can't offer any solution at present (its late!!)

I've run your page through sim spider and it doesn't show your links , exactly as you say.

I then destroyed your page and uploaded the remnants to my site

then ran the result of my handcode through simspider and it shows the links oK

I also ran simspider on one of my client sites which has a brochure page as an index page, and - same results as your current page.

Will you turn on the links your hosting ompany did, I'd like to see the results of that now

[theglowcompany]

Thanks, I will but I will now have to email him & ask hinm to do it when he has a mo - I'll let you know when they are up

[pinbrook]

Ok, I'm going to bed now!!

[I-CC]

Right guys, so long as you do not want to make use of a front page for the site, then you can overcome this problem by making the root folder the acatalog folder in effect.

What we recommend is that you amend the way that the Actinic software uploads its file by removing the /acatalog folder completely from the equation.

An example of this can be found at: http://217.206.220.59 - This is a site that we are on the verge of completion for a client. The files normally uploaded to the /acatalog folder is done away with and all the files go straight into the root folder of the site.

If you visit http://www.searchengineworld.com/cgi-bin/sim_spider.cgi and type in the IP address of http://217.206.220.59 and do the sim spider, you will see that it lists most pages and with normal use of the sitemap button/link within your templates, which this site does not yet employ, it would list every single page of the site.

BTW: Reason no domain name is because it is being transfered to us this weekend ready for next week.

You will see within the site that the links to the sections are all standard URLs, i.e. no cgi script connections that are preventing the indexing of the site, so this should produce good search results.

To achieve this you would need to manually edit your ActinicCatalog.mdb file located within your site1 folder. Within it you will see a table called Setup2. Open this table and then where every occurence of acatalog exists, remove it so that the / alone is left. Close the database and then using FTP delete the content of your cgi-bin, as those scripts will retain the /acatalog information.

Update your site and your files will be sent to the root of the site for the normal acatalog folder and cgi-bin files will go in there normal location.

NOTE: By doing this you will not be able to use the Network Configuration menu at all. If you do so much as view the config and click apply or OK, then the acatalog statements will be added back into the directory information and you will have to then go through the entire process again.

Hope this helps you guys to overcome the problem, but again it is only for those that don't want the root brochure page to be shown at all....

Hope it helps.........