(split the topic so the iframe info is under IFRAME section for better searching later)
Iframes have 2 components:
1- main page with a window cut into it. Basically an "inset frame" or "inline frame" (IFRAME)
2- the content page. This page is not designed to stand on it's own...usually has less structure (no header, links, etc) because all of that is provided on the main page.
To the human visitor, it appears the content is all on one page.
To the COMPUTER visitor (Google, Yahoo) you have 2 separate pages.
The search engine WILL follow the iframe code on the main page to find the content page!
Both of those pages will be seen by the search engine.
Both of them may show up in your search results.
Each will be treated by the search engine separately for contents (text, information, links, incoming links, etc) and will be ranked separately.
You can do one of two things:
1 - Allow the search engine to find the content pages and let them index the page and follow links from that page to other pages. This option will cause a few of your visitors to arrive at your site on an INCOMPLETE page that has no headers, links, etc. But gives your site a larger presence on the web. And you should place a warning on the page that the page is designed to be seen from this page: http: and provide a link so the visitor will be able to view it properly. I ALLOW my iframe tutorial pages (and all the content pages) to be searched/indexed by google. I allow my visitors to arrive at a bare bones content page sometimes.
Example:
- If you search google for
iframe tutorials, I am #2 out of more than a 1.2 million pages (not too shabby
) and that takes you to the main iframe tutorial on samisite.com!
- If you search
static iframe, my main iframe tutorial comes up #1 out of 674 thousand, and one of my IFRAME CONTENT PAGES shows up in #2 place. FINE BY ME if the visitor goes to the non-framed page!
2 - FORCE A REDIRECT to the main page. Search engines are not happy with these because they want to walk from page to page to page to page. They do not like to be redirected. When the redirect code is used on a content page, NONE OF THE CONTENT will be seen by the search engine spider. Before it can gather your bits of wisdom on that page, it is sent back to the main page again, right back to where it came from. From the HUMAN visitor standpoint, that's not a bad thing. But from a computer side, it is. SO....I was merely pointing out that if you have information showing in the iframe that does not need to be indexed by google and others, use a redirect! This is perfect for changing information (schedules, daily quotes, etc) that you don't care if google ever reads it. But if the main MEAT of the site is in an iframe, DON'T use a REDIRECT.
Let me be clear...I have pages on my sites that utilize iframes and those pages get some good rankings! The key is that you need to have more than just a menu on the main page. And provide a way for your visitor to get to the RIGHT "framed" environment.
I personally am not a fan of an ALL IFRAME site. Fred does it all the time. Personal choice.
I also do not care for ALL FRAMED site. Yes, some of my pages use FRAMES. But they are harder on SEO (for the same reason as above) so I use them when necessary and use non-framed pages for MOST of the sites! At least when it comes to CSB, we have FAR BETTER RESULTS for framed sites than many other site builders...
Check out what I mean here.
Just as long as you understand HOW it is seen by the search engines and can work with that, it goes back to personal choice.
Remember that your MAIN PAGE and YOUR CONTENT page need to have some text not just links.
You must remember you are building the FRONT and the BACK of your site at the same time.
Feed the HUMAN VISITORS VISUALLY in the front and the computer visitors with TEXT (content, verbiage) from the back. If the search engine only sees some pictures and links on a page (a frame for another page) it will not be highly ranked because it has nothing to offer, unless you have thousands of incoming links of good quality.