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 pannel 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 navaigation pannel (unless you put in a javascript to load frameset).

What helps Framed sites list in Search Engines?

Meta tags in their frameset file's <head>

Meta tags are the coding in your html <head> that tells a search engine how you want your listing to appear on their database. Seaerch engines display your <title>, the contents of your Meta description tag beneath it, and a link to your webpage address.

<title>Fixing Frames for Search Engine Indexing</title>
<meta name="description" content="Detailed sentence describing what site has to offer">

 
The frameset (usually the index.html or index.htm file) is what you see if you go up to the browser toolbar and choose View Source. AOL people can't do that, but they can open Internet Explorer (the blue e on computer desktop).
View the HTML source code of the frameset file of this window:
 
<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 1and 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 nonframed 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 java script 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.