Posts Tagged ‘search engines’

Nov 13

Sandra

1 Comment

The Importance of a Reliable Web Server

Choosing a web server is an important task that can impact the effectiveness of your website, so it is important that you are not solely price driven.

A server that continues to experience downtime, even if it has limited but regular downtime, can have a negative effect on your search rankings.

Search engines constantly send their spiders out to look for web pages, and if those spiders happen to try and access your website pages at a time when your webserver is experiencing downtime, you have lost out on getting your new content spidered, and if the spiders keep coming back and finding your website can’t be accessed, they will soon visit less often and could decide that your site no-longer exists and is not worth adding to their results.

An unreliable webserver can undermine all of your efforts on the internet, not just your search engine results.

Consider the effect of sending out an email marking shot offering a fantastic deal asking people to visit your website. If your webserver then experiences downtime just after the email has been sent out, not only will your email be ineffective, but your customers will be left wondering why you have sent an email inviting them to visit your website, when the website is not available.

It is easy to research the large companies out there – just Google any webhost name and add “review” after it, to find reviews of those companies. It may even be an good idea to consult a web professional or two to ask their advice. Be prepared to pay for the advice, especially as it may save you embarrassment.

Different people have different companies they love and hate, and ultimately the choice will be yours. So, if you have no idea about hosting or websites, don’t just blindly go ahead and buy hosting you think SOUNDS like a good deal. Talk to your web developer or consult a web professional to ensure that you are buying a good web server package that suits your requirements.

Oct 29

Sandra

No Comments

Flash and your website

I agree that Flash websites can look amazing – but you need to understand what creating a website in flash means for you.

Maintenance

If you have paid a designer to create your whole site in Flash, you are going to need them to make any change, however minor that may be. Not only can this end up being expensive, the changes may not be particularly quick.

You should keep in mind that Flash is a complicated technology. You should consider if it is the right technology for your website. An (X)HTML website incorporating Flash is far more acceptable to search engine spiders, and I agree that Flash has it’s place. For example, you could use Flash for an online presentation that is more of an extra to the website.

Search Engine Spiders can’t find it!

There has been a lot of talk over the last few years about how search engine spiders have improved their ability to read Flash files. However, while this is true, Flash still presents indexing problems, and so a website built entirely in Flash, will be likely to experience SEO problems.

As the purpose of your website is to attract visitors, the lack of spidering will restrict your search engine optimisation efforts. The current mantra of SEO’s is that “content is king”. If the spiders cannot access your content because it is locked inside a Flash file, you are not realising the true potential of your website.

Do you really need Flash?

I have many bugbears with websites created entirely from Flash – even with just landing pages that have the ’skip intro’ button as part of the flash. There are still a lot of people who don’t have flash installed, and the lack of non-flash navigation can be particularly frustrating.

I tend to find that Flash sites have been created by brilliant designers who lack the understanding of how poor implementation of the technology can create a frustrating website for it’s users.

My own opinion of Flash is that it should be used sparingly and mainly for things that are not important to show up in the search engines. I love a lot of Flash websites, but I look at them from the point of view of the user and the search engines, and I advise my clients accordingly.

Ultimately, the decision of whether to use Flash, and how much, is up to you. If you’re site is essentially a sales or lead generation site, I would advise staying away from Flash as it can slow a user’s progress through your website, and as such, may end up costing you clients.
If you have a website that is about you and your abilities, for example, a graphic designer, then Flash has it’s place.

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