Website Review and Suggestions

**doogers** · 01-31-2007, 09:32 PM

Please take a look at my website and give me some suggestions please. I am trying to get better with SEO and would like your recommendations.
Thanks,
Doogers
http://www.lukebouman.com

**dotty** · 02-01-2007, 05:17 AM

Hi
If you want to get better at SEO, start looking at CSS and avoid building sites that use nested tables. CSS allows the search engines to sift through clean code, recognising good keywords and content on the way. Your code is so complex!
Nice site though. Clean and neat and very usable. Think about accessibility next time. What if I don't have flash?

**itscooper** · 02-01-2007, 06:21 AM

Agreed. If you're looking to improve SEO then CSS is the best route.

I would suggest a javascript menu which can override the flash if the client does not have FLash Player.

I also think that the java applet you use on the 'About' page doesn't do the site any favours. It's generally good practice to avoid marquees because, unless implimented very carefully, they're distracting and annoying to the user. It also requires a Java platform which many people do not have.

This said the site does look very good. It's well laid out, appealing to the eye, and has some good thought-out content.

Cheers.

**LadynRed** · 02-01-2007, 02:35 PM

If he goes with CSS, then there is no reason for even a javascript menu. Having ONLY a flash menu is just bad, the SE spiders won't find any links to crawl because they can't read a flash file !

In addition, you are using the <embed> tag to put the Flash in there - bad news for IE users, they won't even SEE your menu until they do the 2-click dance to 'activate' the active content !

Here is one fairly easy method for getting rid of the <embed> :
http://blog.deconcept.com/swfobject/

If you just have to have a flash menu, then you MUST include a text-only version on your page.

Dump the nested tables, use proper semantic markup (put text in <p> tags, and use REAL headings - h1 - h6) !

**RanaD** · 02-01-2007, 02:56 PM

Do you really want to use frames? (refer the About page...Oh, in fact any other page but the main page.) There are so many better ways to integrate content onto a page...

Server Side Includes, the include in PHP... I'm only moaning because I hate frames with a passion - the page I bookmark is never the one I get to, and if I land on it off a search engine, I'm too lazy (as all browsers presumably are) to go look for a menu

**doogers** · 02-01-2007, 03:55 PM

I don't understand CSS? My site is from a company that builds them for Realtors. Is there anything I can do about the Flash thing, or frames? Thanks for your help.

**calande** · 02-01-2007, 07:30 PM

Looks good.

**archyboy** · 02-01-2007, 08:33 PM

get another picture with a "real" smile

**GetPromotedNow** · 02-01-2007, 11:25 PM

It looks nice. If you want a system behind it if its for your clients I suggest using www.interactivetools.com script. Ive used there article manager and it is wonderful. And I love there support.

**itscooper** · 02-02-2007, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doogers

My site is from a company that builds them for Realtors. Is there anything I can do about the Flash thing, or frames?

If the site was built for you by another company, then they should really have stuck to W3C guidelines (although technically I don't think they have to), and have made a text version of the menu as well as the flash one.

Recreating an accessable version of the menu wouldn't be particularly taxing for a web designer, but a difficult task if you're not used to it. Did you pay this company to design your site? If so, then I would ask them to create this other version for you. Maybe you can enquire about using server-side includes instead of frames as well.

Changing to CSS would require a great deal of changes to the source code. Kind of like rebuilding the foundations of your house. If it's not you who is programming the site's architecture then it's probably best to leave it as is. But again you might want to enquire about getting it chnaged to CSS with the design company.

I've been assuming that you're using a design company from your post, so I apologise if I've misinterpreted you.

Cheers.

**DotHQ** · 02-02-2007, 08:56 AM

I'm also working on making the move from tables to css. Not fun, but it should be worthwhile. Since you paid for your site design, you might offer your site as a project for the designers to change from tables to css. They probably do all their sites with tables, since they did yours that way. Once they learn all the advantages of css (as stated by other posters) they should be very interested in making the switch for all of their clients. Especially since it helps with SEO.
Good luck!

**LadynRed** · 02-02-2007, 10:20 AM

Unfortunately, there are far, far too many commercial 'web design' companies that are STILL spewing table-based designs. A travesty, IMO, but that's me. I build many, many sites not a one of 'em contains tables for layout. Flash is used sparingly and NEVER used for navigation.

If you'd like to see a good selection of site designs, FREE ones, that are standards-based and table-less, browse thru these:
http://www.openwebdesign.org/