FIB - Scams 101

about databases

Posted By: Mel. White
Date: Monday, August 13, 2007, at 1:46 p.m.(pst)

In Response To: Search Engine Myths? (Tom Brownsword)

>> If the search engines can't read a site that is stored in a database,
>> then why do blogs get ranked so well?

Most of the ones I see aren't databases. For example, Livejournal is all linked html pages (a database server would crash). BBSs *are* databases (frequently) and they do index, but they generally don't rank as high as html pages.

>> A lot of those things may have been true a few years ago, but
>> improvements in technology means that many of these assumptions are no
>> longer true -- if they were ever true in the first place. For example, I
>> think that a multi-billion dollar, cash heavy company like Google can
>> figure out a way to enable their robots to read JavaScript...

It's not just reading it -- it's interpreting it. There's a bunch of bad and broken code out there... and a lot of misleading redirects. What they're all about is serving up GOOD data without having to have people read everything on the web (an impossible job.)

>> Search engine companies are a LOT smarter than most people think, and
>> trying to trick a search engine is not a good idea. If you want to be
>> listed in their search engine, then you have to play by their rules (in
>> other words, you don't have the "right" to expect anything from
>> them).

Exactly. And preventing some of the tricksters is the reason why some of those things don't work.

>> OTOH, things like using tables for layout are bad -- in more ways than
>> one. Tables will someday be deprecated and eventually dropped from support
>> by browsers.

Are you sure? :)

>> The only "fact" when it comes to search engines is that only
>> the search engine companies really know what they can, and cannot, do and
>> read and crawl and rank. While I do some things to help my sites that are
>> statistically proven to help (I use http://www.rasof.com, which is based
>> on statistics), I try to focus on my website visitors and what they want
>> and need.

Which is the right thing to do!

But remember, search engine strategies change regularly and that means your ranking shifts and dips. The novice does better to avoid some of that stuff. Pros can break the rules because they know more about the environment and can tweak tags and other things to get around some of the initial problems. But newbies would do better to avoid those mistakes.

Messages In This Thread

• Nice little article on web page tactics that lower your web page rankings
  Mel. White -- Friday, August 10, 2007, at 6:23 p.m.(pst)
  • Re: Nice little article on web page tactics that lower your web page rankings
    Sandi Bowman -- Friday, August 10, 2007, at 6:51 p.m.(pst)
    • Search Engine Myths?
      Tom Brownsword -- Monday, August 13, 2007, at 8:50 a.m.(pst)
      • Nice read.. Mostly bull..
        Pete Egeler -- Monday, August 13, 2007, at 9:44 a.m.(pst)
      • about databases
        Mel. White -- Monday, August 13, 2007, at 1:46 p.m.(pst)
      • Tables Gone?
        Michael Ross -- Tuesday, August 14, 2007, at 2:30 p.m.(pst)

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