Search Engine Submission tips from Robert Woodhead
Robert J. Woodhead is the CEO and co-founder of AnimEigo (www.animeigo.com).
He is responsible for product aquisition and preproduction (including
producing subtitles and dubs), as well as "anything else that needs
doing today." Prior to founding AnimEigo, Robert was active in the
computer industry, and co-wrote the classic "Wizardry" roleplaying
game. He also was the original author of the VIREX anti-virus program.
He is also building Robert's Obscure Secrets, a little compendium of useful
tidbits being placed on the web for spiders and other robots to find,
and SelfPromotion.com,
a web power-tool that helps you register your URLs with all the important
search engines. His personal website is MadOverlord.com.
We were fortunate to get Mr.Robert Woodhead answer a few questions over
the email for us about Search Engine submissions. We are providing that
information here below for the convenience of our visitors.
1. Are there any copyright issues over using popular
brand names in
the head content of a webpage, if the page really talks about them? For
Ex. A page reviewing Macromedia's 'Site Spring' having 'Macromedia' as
a keyword. Please Comment.
As long as it is in the context of fair use, and not trying to trade
upon the other party's trademark, you are probably ok.
2. Does, 'not putting commas' between the META keywords,of
a webpage facilitate different types of pairing of the words? For Ex.
Can this be used by search engines to pair up different keywords and consider
them in the same way as keywords like web development, flash development,
database development??? Please Comment.
Some search engines note commas, some consider them the same as spaces.
Thus, use them, it can't hurt and it can help.
3. Do Search Engines index Database Driven sites and
pages?For Ex. Search Results page at a Product site.Please Comment.
Yes and no. Some do, some don't if the url has a ? or $ in it.
4. What is the method to get Search engines index database
driven sites and pages?
The solution is url remapping in the webserver, so that a browser can
request http://www.abc.com/search.cgi/query/123/parameter/abc or something,
and it converts it to http://www.abc.com/search.cgi?query=123meter=abc.The
outside world never sees the ? stuff, so all search engines are happy.
5. Do search engines index Flash and Multimedia-rich
Pages?
Not the internal contents of the flash stuff, but they do index any other
content of the page, such as meta tags.
6. Do you think a site can use Flash in an effective
manner and yet
get indexed by search engines?
I think that Flash is a total waste of time, and an ego-trip for web-designers.
Keep your pages simple and useful for users. The only time to use something
like flash is in animations that illustrate something, ie: howthingswork.com
does a good job.
7. If a commercial site has good non-commercial content,
can that
'particular' page be submitted to Yahoo and Looksmart to be listed
in a non-commercial section?
Only if the non-commercial stuff can be presented in a total standalone
manner, ie: on its own website.
8. Which is a major factor that you feel makes or mars
the Search
Engine Positioning of a website or webpage?
People getting fancy, trying tricks. Make your pages simple, easy to
understand and useful to real people, add good titles and meta tags,
and the search engines will find you.
9. Finally, Your advice for budding Search Engine Positioning
Professionals
Recognize that you can't work miracles, and stop making wild promises
to your clients.
