Frames Information

What is Framed Format?

If you shrink the window size of your browser, notice if you can scroll different sections.
If you click links, they load in a section of the browser window

Advantages of Framed Format?

Framed formatted sites are usually easy to navigate. Their panel of links to different areas of site is visible at all times.
Load time to change pages may be less than normal for visitors since navigation buttons don't need to be reloaded.
Changes to the site or look are easily made, links easily updated.

Disadvantages of Framed Format?

Framed sites usually don't rank as well in search engines as non-framed competition.
People may try to bookmark a page of your framed site in their favorite links; but, when they try to return, the page stands alone without the frames and without your navigation panel
(unless you put in a javascript to load frameset).

What helps Framed sites list in Search Engines?

Meta Tags in the FrameSet file's <head>

Frameset Source

The Frameset is the invisible file that tells a browser what size each frame on page should be and its what search engines will visit and collect data from. Usually the name of the frameset file is index.html.

To view Frameset Source Code you need to click View in your browser's toolbar and then choose View Source. The AOL browser doesn't give you this option, Internet Explorer and NetScape does.

You may view the Frameset Source Code of the this browser window by clicking View in the Menu Bar, then choose Source.

Frame Source

This browser window is sharing space with 3 frames. If you right click your mouse and choose View Source, you will see the html source code of this particular frame.

<Title>s with relevant keyword phrases

Words in the <title> will probably FIND the site on search engines. Be sure the words in the frameset's page <title> are relevant. Are they exact search terms people would type in to a search engine to find what the page offers? Business Name: Primary Keyword phrase 1 and 2 works wonders.

The <noframes> tags in the frameset file needs content: A paragraph or two describing what the site offers, working all the words listed in the meta keyword tag into sentences. The search engines need content to find words to add to their index to help call up a site in a search. Even though the text inside the <noframes> area isn't actually seen by people visiting the site, the content should be in complete sentence/paragraph form. Any thing considered SPAM on the visible portion of a normal or non-framed site would be considered SPAM in the noframes section. Word stuffing, word stacking, lists of repeated keywords is not good.

Some search engines follow links to index other pages

In your <noframes> section, you could put links to the pages that open in your mainframe, but keep in mind, that if these pages list, they will do so without the frameset holding them or a navigation bar. You may need to include a link on those pages to bring visitors to your framed home page, or insert a javascript that loads the frameset.
Doorways: In many cases, even framed sites that perform the <noframes> "fix" may not list as well as non-framed competitors. If you find this is the case, you may want to consider creating a frameless entry page to your site, well optimized with indexable text for search engine spiders. It could be an introduction to your site with a button link to enter.

Framed sites don't need to worry about the visible text ON their page for search engine indexing. Human run directories may look at it though. Yahoo! editors will check the site for content value, for dead links, and load time.