Dynamic Web Pages

Many dynamic web pages are pages that are generated using a database . Dynamic web pages are usually created with Active Server Pages (.asp), Cold Fusion (.cfm), Hypertext PreProcessor (.php), Java Server Pages (.jsp), and other technologies.

Search engines have problems indexing dynamic web pages, but not because they are driven by databases. The main problem is the URL that is generated.

Let's compare a static web page URL and a dynamic web page URL. A typical static web site is comprised of a series of web pages that end in an .html or .htm extension. Each page is a unique file and has unique content, and the URL has no stop symbols such as a ?, &, $, =, +, or %. For example, on the fictional TranquiliTeas web site, a static web page for the oolong tea page has the following URL:

www.tranquiliteasorganic.com/oolongteas.html

In contrast, a dynamic web site has very few files that contain original content. The files from a dynamic web site are comprised of templates that give instructions on how to present content, but the templates actually contain little or no unique content. The main content of dynamic web sites is stored in a database. When a page is viewed on a dynamic web site, the template loads content from the database. To tell the template to load specific content, parameters (or variables ) are added to the URL. For example, if the TranquiliTeas site uses a database to showcase different products, the URL might look like the following:

www.tranquiliteasorganic.com/products.asp?product_no=25

The name of the template page is products.asp , the question mark ( ? ) communicates to the search engines that the URL is dynamic, the product_no is the name of a variable or parameter, and 25 is the value assigned to the variable. In this example, the number 25 corresponds to the oolong tea content in the database.

The preceding URL is generally search engine friendly because there is only one parameter in the URL, and many search engines ” especially Google and FAST Search ”do not have any problems indexing dynamic URLs with a single parameter. However, when the URL contains multiple parameters, it becomes increasingly difficult for the search engines to determine if the resulting web page contains unique content.

For example, in a dynamic URL, you can display a single web page with multiple parameters by separating each parameter with an ampersand (&). A URL with two parameters can look like the following:

www.tranquiliteasorganic.com/products.asp?product_no=25&product_ sortorder=asc

This URL is much more difficult for the search engines to index because they have no way of knowing what parameters identify a new web page and what parameters are just a means of sorting content, a navigation scheme, or anything else that is not a new and unique web page.

Thus, one way to make dynamic sites more search engine friendly is to minimize the number of parameters in the URL. Other ways to make dynamic sites search engine friendly are adding static information pages, modifying the stop characters in the URL, utilizing pay-for-inclusion (PFI) programs, and participating in pay-for-placement (PFP) advertising.

Static Information Pages

One of the simplest solutions for dynamic web sites is to create static HTML pages that the search engines can index. Not all web pages on a site need to be dynamically generated, especially pages whose content does not need to be updated frequently. In fact, many web sites naturally contain information pages. Does your site have a FAQs section, a glossary of industry-related terms, or a page with tips and facts related to your products and services? Figures 3.14 and 3.15 show examples of content that can be included on information pages.

Figure 3.14. A Safe Place has a large set of information pages containing quality information about domestic violence safety tips and facts.

Figure 3.15. Koch Group , Inc., which provides industrial marketing solutions for manufacturers, has a set of tips that are tailored specifically for manufacturers.

Information Pages Versus Doorway Pages

Many people confuse information pages with doorway pages. The two types of search engine strategies are completely different. Doorway pages are a form of spam whereas information pages are acceptable to both search engines and directories.

Doorway pages are web pages created specifically for search engine positions . They are not created to benefit end users. Typically, the copy on doorway pages is computer-generated, not written by professional copywriters or content providers. Doorway page companies typically create thousands of computer-generated pages for a single keyword or keyword phrase. All these pages are fed to the search engines through free Add URL forms, polluting their indices with unnecessary and repetitive information. Doorway pages are not pleasant to look at, and they often contain so much gibberish they must be cloaked. End users would not continue visiting a web site if they viewed these pages.

Information pages, on the other hand, are specifically created to benefit site visitors because they provide information in which visitors are interested. Because information pages are always a part of a web site, they can help a site gain more popularity in the search engines and the directories.

Table 3.1 compares the characteristics of information and doorway pages.

Table 3.1. Characteristics of Information and Doorway Pages

Information Page Characteristics

Doorway Page Characteristics

Designed and written primarily for site visitors Visually match the appearance of your web site Never computer-generated web pages; always designed for human viewing Always hosted on the same server as the main web site to help boost popularity Pages with extraordinary content can be submitted and accepted into directories Site visitors and search engine spiders always view the same page Contain no spam techniques (redirects, hidden text, keyword stacking, and so forth)

Designed and written for positioning only Typically text-only pages Typically computer-generated web pages Often hosted on a server separate from the main web site Never accepted in major, reputable directories Site visitors and search engine spiders often do not view the same page Often contain spam techniques, especially redirects, which is why many doorway pages must be cloaked

Modifying Stop Characters in the URL

Search engines are becoming increasingly adept at spidering dynamic web pages. If you view the search results in many search engines, you can see URLs appearing with question marks (?) and equal signs (=).

One way to increase the search engine visibility of dynamic URLs is to convert the troublesome symbols in the URL into symbols, such as a comma or a forward slash, that are more search engine friendly. For example, this dynamic URL:

www.tranquiliteasorganic.com/products.asp?product_no=25

can be modified to be this URL:

www.tranquiliteasorganic.com/products.asp/product_no/25

so that the search engines include the pages in their indices.

Software and workarounds exist on the web that present web developers with solutions for Active Server Pages (ASP), Cold Fusion pages (CFP), CGI/Perl, and Apache servers. The most updated information is available on the subscribers-only section of Danny Sullivan's Search Engine Watch:

www.searchenginewatch.com/subscribers/more/dynamic.html

This information is also available on the companion web site for this book.

Pay-for-Inclusion (PFI) Programs

One strategy to consider for dynamic web sites is PFI programs. With a PFI model, a search engine guarantees to include pages from a web site in its index in exchange for payment. The PFI model is beneficial to search engine marketers and web site owners because of the following two reasons:

• They know their web pages will not be dropped from a search engine index.

• The pages are re-spidered very quickly.

This type of program guarantees that your submitted web pages are not dropped from the search engine index for a specified period of time, generally six months or a year. To keep your guaranteed inclusion in the search engine's index, you must renew your payment. This guarantee saves web site owners considerable time and expenses. With a PFI program, web site owners do not have to continually monitor each search engine to see whether a page has been dropped from an index.

Submitting web pages in a PFI program does not guarantee that the pages will appear in top positions. Thus, all pages submitted through such programs should be optimized.

Search engine marketers find that PFI programs save them considerable time and expense because a web page cannot rank if it is not included in the search engine index. Furthermore, PFI programs enable dynamic web pages to be included in the search engine index without having to implement costly redesigns and workarounds.

The seven steps to PFI success are described in the following sections.

Always Optimize the Pages That You Enroll in a PFI Program

PFI programs do not guarantee top placement. The same ranking algorithms apply to web pages in a PFI program that apply to web pages found through the natural spidering process. Therefore, if you want your pages to rank well, place keywords throughout your web pages as outlined in Part 2 of this book.

Use a PFI Program for Dynamic Web Pages That Search Engine Spiders Have a Difficult Time Crawling

One of the main reasons PFI programs were created was to make valuable information contained on dynamic web pages accessible to spiders. URLs with only one parameter are probably picked up by natural spidering. However, if you find that many dynamic pages on your site are not being picked up by the natural spidering process, enroll URLs with multiple parameters in a PFI program.

Learn How to Use PFI Programs Effectively for Your Most Frequently Modified Pages

A big advantage to using a PFI program is that the contents on submitted pages are updated in the search engine results within days. Thus, if you have pages whose contents are updated daily or weekly, such as sites with News sections and Products pages with featured discounts , enrolling those pages in a PFI program delivers that information to your target audience more quickly in the search engine results.

Enroll the Most Important Pages on Your Site in PFI Programs

If you are a small business and have a limited budget, submit only your most important pages into a PFI program. Many sites get an outstanding return on investment by enrolling only 10 or 20 optimized pages in a PFI program.

Enroll in PFI Programs That Offer Excellent Reporting

Many PFI programs offer detailed reporting on the actual keywords used to find each web page and the number of times your target audience clicked a link to your site from search results. All trusted feed programs (for sites with over 1,000 pages) offer this reporting feature, but very few PFI programs offer this type of reporting for smaller sites. One exception is Position Technologies, which offers click-through and keyword reporting for both Inktomi and FAST Search PFI programs. The URL for Position Technologies is available in the "Resources" appendix.

Test Different PFI Programs and Determine Which Search Engine Your Target Audience Is Using

Some PFI programs are more effective than others, depending on your industry. For example, many Teoma/AskJeeves users come from educational institutions, particularly grade schools . Therefore, enrolling pages in the Teoma PFI program might be good for web sites that are targeting educational institutions.

Do Not Submit Spam Pages in PFI Programs

The same spam guidelines that apply to pages submitted for free apply to web pages submitted to PFI programs. Spam pages found in a PFI program are immediately removed from a search engine index.

Session IDs and the Search Engines

Unfortunately, URLs that contain session IDs are often the "kiss of death" in the search engines. The problem with session IDs is that the same content is delivered over and over in the search results with a different URL. To counter mirror content being displayed in search results, many search engines do not include web pages with session IDs.

If a web site owner finds that session IDs are essential for delivering timely , quality content to site visitors, search engines offer PFP advertising programs.

Pay-for-Placement (PFP) Search Engine Advertising

Many web site owners find that it saves considerable time to participate in PFP search engine programs, such as those offered by Overture, instead of dealing with potentially costly workarounds. PFP search engine programs guarantee something that paid inclusion programs do not guarantee: top positions. As long as you bid the top two or three positions, your advertisement is guaranteed to be displayed in the top of the results for the search engine and its partners .

The seven steps to PFP success are described in the following sections.

Do Extensive Keyword Research Before Making a Purchase

Some keywords and keyword phrases are more expensive to purchase than others. Many keyword selections generate clicks but are of little value after visitors come to a site. For example, using the word "free" in a PFP advertisement often generates a lot of clicks and little or no sales.

Additionally, browse the search engines and directories to see which sites cater to your target audience. Some PFP search programs deliver more value than others. Prepare a series of text ads for each product or service you are advertising.

Microsoft does not show the same commercial year after year after year because people get bored after viewing the same commercial. Likewise, people viewing your PFP ads do not want to view the same ad month after month after month. Thus, be sure to regularly update your ads after they cease to be effective.

Give People an Incentive for Clicking Your Advertisement

Your target audience should understand what type of site they will be visiting as a result of clicking your ad. If they see no clear benefit from clicking, they are not as likely to visit your site.

One simple way to encourage clicks is to ask a question such as the following: "Do you want more traffic to your web site?" or "Need help with taxes?" The answer to that question can be on your destination page.

Prepare a Set of Destination Pages, or Landing Pages, for Each Product or Service You Are Advertising

When people click an advertisement, they want to go directly to the page that contains the "benefit" for clicking the advertisement. They do not want to go to a home page and hunt around for information.

Be Prepared to Do a Lot of Testing

PFP advertising involves a great deal of monitoring and testing. Advertisers need to determine which words generate the most qualified clicks, which destination-page designs and content generate the most sales, and which PFP program reaches a target audience.

The amount of work involved in maintaining this type of program can be overwhelming, especially if a site offers thousands of different products and services. Search engine marketers specialize in keyword research and monitoring statistics. Thus, if you find that your in-house staff does not have the time to continually create effective ads and destination pages, consider outsourcing this aspect of search engine marketing.

All Destination Pages Should Contain Quality Content and at Least One Call to Action

What do you want your site visitors to do when they arrive at your site? Do you want them to place an order, subscribe to a newsletter, or perhaps fill out a form? Give your site visitors enough information on your destination pages to help them make the desired call to action.

Place the Robots Exclusion Protocol on Destination Pages That Have Identical or Nearly Identical Content

Because many destination pages contain identical content with very slight variations in design and different calls to action, the spidering search engines often find these pages and include them in their indices. Because the search engines have no way to determine whether these pages are spam pages, be safe. Place the Robots Exclusion Protocol on pages designed and written for PFP search engines.

Understand That First Position Is Not Always the Best Choice

People are programmed to believe that the first position is always the best. In PFP programs, the best site is not necessarily in the first position. Many outstanding sites do not participate in PFP programs, and savvy web searchers understand that positions can be bought.

Also, review the distribution network of the PFP search engines. Bidding for and maintaining a third position in a PFP search engine is often more cost effective than bidding and maintaining a first position. An ad displaying in the third position often displays across the PFP network, as shown in Figure 3.16.

Figure 3.16. Sites that paid for top positions in Google's AdWords or sponsored listings display in AskJeeves' search results. Notice that an ad will display even if the advertiser did not pay for the top position.