It's amazing…
Posted on | April 3, 2009 | No Comments
Today, in a forum for a search engine that I shall not name, I found a thread where a user posted a question wondering why their site was not being indexed by this same search engine. Curious, I checked the site out.
I did a site:www.sitename.com search – no results.
I did a site:sitename.com search – no results (note the www. prefix missing).
I did a link:www.sitename.com search and found results. Getting somewhere, I went to one of the results and found that the link was in the footer, as in a “this site designed/hosted by {insert_seo_firm_name}” type link.
(talking to self) “So let me get this straight: the site can’t get indexed, but is a web/seo/design/development company and it’s got inbound links? Let’s go check out their site. (click)”
Site loads and every single page on the site has a nofollow tag. As in, “hey search engine, don’t follow this link, thanks goodbye!” So I know that Google/Yahoo/MSN, or GYM as I call them, can’t follow any of the other pages, but they should still be able to get to the home page, right? Right.
Unless…
Unless you add a tag at the top of the page like this guy did that says “Hey, if you’re a search bot, do not index and do not follow ANY content on this site. At all. I’m serious. Leave me alone! Go away search bot!!! SCRAM!!!”
That’s right. A web development self-proclaimed “Web SEO Strategist” added a meta noindex nofollow tag to his very own site and wondered why in God’s name his site wouldn’t be indexed. I couldn’t resist. But, I did resist offering up a sarcastic comment and simply told him the solution.
Some people…
Tags: nofollow > noindex > search engine > search engine optimization > seo > some people > web development
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Kyle Jernigan
Husband, Believer, rabid Bama fan, immune to stress, trendsetter, smart risk taker, Director of Interactive Marketing, COD MW2 sultan of pain (bravetide).
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