Dangers of dynamic content with Google. Should I use frames? - Unknown Secrets of SEO E-Webstyle Number 34

Episode33 min2009-10-31

Dynamic content URLs with mod_rewrite and frames both confuse Google bots, so use SEO-friendly URL structures, text link pyramids, and avoid frames entirely to protect crawlability and keyword relevance.

Cover art for Dangers of dynamic content with Google. Should I use frames? - Unknown Secrets of SEO E-Webstyle Number 34
Key takeaways
Nothing says plumber like butt crack.

About this episode

We discuss the dangers of using dynamic content with Google. We also answer a questions from our favorite Interviewee, Joe Orsak. There are many temptations to use frames on your website. Common wisdom says this can be problematic with SEO find out how why and when not to use frames on your website.

Questions this episode answers

Is it bad for SEO to have multiple domain names forwarding to one website?

Google treats the forwarded domains as duplicate content and will not show both in results at the same time. The benefit is that a keyword-rich domain name like ImproveMyCreditDallas.com can still rank higher for that specific term than the main domain, so it is not a penalty but offers limited value without unique content on each domain.

Does using mod_rewrite to clean up PHP or ASP URLs hurt Google crawling?

If mod_rewrite collapses all dynamic query-string URLs into one generic page name like slash testing, Google assumes it already indexed that page and ignores new content served there. The recommended approach is to rewrite URLs into keyword-rich slash-separated paths so each unique page has a distinct, crawlable URL.

What is a link pyramid and why does it help SEO?

A link pyramid is a set of plain text links placed at the bottom of a webpage that mirrors the site navigation. It ensures Google can follow links even when navigation uses images or JavaScript it cannot parse, and it passes keyword-relevant authority from the page to its internal link destinations.

In their words

Those websites will end up in the supplemental. Those websites are considered by Google to have duplicate content.

Chris Perez

You want to make sure it's visible. You definitely do not want to hide it because that's hidden text, can be considered black hat.

Chris Perez

A frame is actually really a collection of independent websites. So, that's one of the reasons that Google has a hard time with it is because the websites are actually, it's independent.

Chris Perez
Terms defined in this episode
mod_rewrite
Server-side software that rewrites dynamic URLs, typically used to convert query-string addresses into cleaner, keyword-rich slash-separated URLs that search engines can index more effectively.
Supplemental Index
A secondary Google index where pages with duplicate or low-value content are stored, making them unlikely to appear in standard search results.
Link Pyramid
A block of plain text navigation links placed at the bottom of a webpage so search engine bots can follow and assign keyword relevance to internal pages even when main navigation uses images or JavaScript.
Frames
An HTML technique that loads multiple independent web pages inside one browser window, divided by visible lines or scroll bars, which confuses search engine crawlers because each frame is a separate document.

Full transcript is being added.

Matthew Bertram, host of The Best SEO Podcast
Matthew Bertram
AI keynote speaker · Owner & CEO, EWR Digital · President, ModalPoint

Matthew Bertram is an AI keynote speaker, creator of DIG™ (Digital Information Governance), and owner and CEO of EWR Digital. He helps energy and industrial leaders win visibility in AI search (GEO and AEO), is President of ModalPoint and CMO of the Oil & Gas Global Network, hosts The Best SEO Podcast, and has authored eight books including LLM Visibility. More about Matthew Bertram.

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