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Search Engine Marketing Tips - Site Architecture
* Most comments by Barbara Coll, CEO of WebMama
Custom 404 Error Page
Coll also discussed the importance of a custom 404 error page, which she calls "error trapping." Through your custom 404 error page, make it easy for the users to find where they want to go. Use HTML links and include a search box. META data on your pages is important for onsite search engines, so be sure to include it on every page. A custom 404 page will help search engine marketing by not displeasing the user when a certain page is not found.
For information on how to create custom 404 pages for every type of server, visit the 404 Research Lab (http://www.plinko.net/404/). The site also features many examples of custom 404 pages.
Problem Strategies
"Skip intro" pages are the worst thing you can do to your site, according to Coll. "Skip intro" or "splash" pages generally have no or very little content, often contain a movie, and frequently redirect to another page. This kind of page will not help search engine marketing because it basically has no useful content.
Your introductory page needs to contain content, so get rid of your intro page if it doesn't. Instead, stick Flash in a window on the home page and include it as an element, like an image.
Remember that Web technology that detracts from the content or provides no static content will negatively affect search engine rankings and your search engine marketing.. Sites developed completely in Flash or other interactive technologies, large animated graphics, or movies are deterrents to content seekers and detrimental to search engine rankings.
Spiders don't see image maps and don't follow those links. They can't read graphics. Anything in an image is useless, therefore, they do not help your website search engine marketing.
Coll also recommends not using frames. If you do use frames, she recommends making sure that you include META and title tags on all frames and frameset pages. Don't allow a frame to be shown without redirecting to the frameset first. Use a <noframes> tag and add keyword-rich content. If using frames, make sure to follow these tips so it won't negatively affect your search engine marketing.
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