Optimize HTML Tables for Search
Engines
How To Optimize HTML Tables for
Search Engines and keep your
navigation on the left while maintaining SE Optimization efficiency!
by Stephen Mahaney
article reprinted with permission from
Search Engine News
Perhaps you've heard that HTML tables reduce search engine
optimization efficiency. The truth is, it isn't the HTML table
layout that reduces the efficiency, it's the content order
of appearance within the table that auses the search engine
problems.
Specifically, it's when site navigation is placed inside the
first cell of the table that causes search engines to erroneously
catalog the navigation links as the theme of your site.
Simply put, site navigation utilizes words like Home, Products,
Services, Contacts Us, About Us, Privacy Policy, etc. Such
words are certainly not the primary "keywords" that an online
business wants a search engine to index. However, when such
navigation is placed into the first cell of an HTML table,
as is typically the case, those are exactly the words a search
engine sees first, and indexes -- much to the dismay of search
engine optimization strategists.
Without a doubt, this is a top design concern that catches
most webmasters between their understandable desire to build
easily navigable pages and their company's need to score well
in the search engines.
Here's a simple solution...
If you've faced this dilemma, fret not. We have a clever,
yet simple solution to one of the most common search engine
optimization problems known to site designers. Now you can
use HTML tables to achieve a tastefully pleasing and predictably
consistent design layout AND fully optimize your pages to
score high in the search engines - here's how.
The technique involves using a blank table cell along with
an appropriate rowspan specification on the subsequent table
cell. Doing so allows you to set the contents of the main
section of your webpage as the very first body text a search
engine will "see" in the page's source code.
Then, by placing the navigation column within the next table
cell, the webpage displays navigation on the customary left
side in spite of the fact such navigation physically exists
after the body text of the main section in the source code.
This strategy gives you the best of both worlds -- design
appeal AND search engine optimization efficiency. Here's what
it looks like...
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Place
your page contents and keywords here.
Take a close look at the code below and you will notice
that this text appears first in the source code and
above the text that appears in the table to the left.
Therefore, a search engine will see this text and
index it before it sees the text that is located lower
in the source code of the page.
To prove it, copy and paste the code below and save
it as an HTML document. Upon viewing the page your
end result will look exactly like this green and yellow
table combination you see here giving you a ready-made
search engine friendly table-template.
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Place
your navigation links here.
Although it LOOKS like it is the first text when viewing
a page, in the eye of the search engine it isn't because
the text contained in the cell to the right
actually appears first when viewing the source
code. (see below)
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<table border="1" cellpadding="5"
cellspacing="0" width="450">
<tr>
<td valign="top" bgcolor="#eeeeee"
align="left" width="140"></td>
<td valign="top" align="left" bgcolor="#efefff"
width="450" rowspan="2">
Place your page contents and keywords here.
Take a close look at the code below and you will notice that
this text appears first in the source code and above the text
that appears in the table to the left. Therefore, a search
engine will see this text and index it before it sees the
text
that is located lower in the source code of the page.
To prove it, copy and paste the code below and save it as
an
HTML document. Upon viewing the page your end result will
look exactly like this green and yellow table combination
you
see here giving you a ready-made search engine friendly
table-template.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="left" width="140"
bgcolor="#eeeeee">
Place your navigation links here.
Although it LOOKS like it is the first text when viewing a
page,
in the eye of the search engine it isn't because the text
contained in <B><I>the cell to the right</I></B>
actually
appears <u>first</u> when viewing the source code.
(see
below)
</td>
</tr>
</table>
Copy the example in green above and then insert your own text
into the format. I'm sure you'll see right away how easy it
is to place your keyword content strategically in the path
of the search engines even when using HTML tables. Don't you
wish all your optimization problems could be solved so easily!
Question: How much money could a tip like this mean
to your company's bottom line. $100? ...$500? ...more? ...because
it improves your positioning on the search engines, maybe
a LOT more! If you answered yes then you owe it to yourself
to check
out Search Engine News.
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Pandia Search Central calls
Search Engine News,
"....probably the best newsletter on
search engine promotion in the world."
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