There are a number of antiquated development techniques that we can safely let go of in order to create more findable content:
- Frames
- Deprecated elements
- Pop-up windows
Frames
Hindered findability is just one of the many reasons why frames should be officially laid to rest. The individual pages that make up framesets divide content, adversely affecting keyword density when viewed by search engines. Each page of the frameset runs the risk of being discovered by itself via a search engine query, resulting in the awkward display of content without branding/ site identity , navigation, or other important information as originally intended. For users, the result is a dead end. Individual pages are cumbersome to bookmark making return visits less likely.
Deprecated elements
Formatting tags and other deprecated elements such as <font> ,<b> and <i>to name just a few , should be eliminated from all code in favor of contemporary Web standards. Formatting tags redundantly mark up the design of a page with out communicating a meaningful hierarchy of the information. Search engines look for semantic mark up wit a high ratio of content to code. The <font> tag alone can create an exponentially negative effect to this ratio.
Standards-compliant sites use external CSS files to handle their formatting. Moving the formatting to an external file greatly improves the content-to-code ratio of a page while making the site easier to maintain. It also speeds up the load time of your pages for users and search engines because the CSS formatting code will download once and then be stored in the browser’s temporary memory for all subsequent page requests.
Pop-up windows
Pop –up windows can be problematic for some of the same reasons as frames . Often pop up window documents have no site identity or navigation, so when they are indexed and viewed individually the user is provided no clue to their location or how to navigate. The Java Script often used to spawn pop-up windows is not executable by search engine spiders, creating a roadblock to indexing.
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