Search Engine Spiders: What Are They?

Throughout the site we often mention search engine spiders. After all, the site's domain name itself is "spiderfriendly.co.uk". But what does it mean? What are these mysterious creatures that inhabit the web?

Search engines help us find what we need on the web. They are very handy things, especially if you follow some simple tips | when searching. But how do they know what the web contains?

They send spiders intelligence gathering. Actually, spiders are just programs. They constantly "crawl" the web following links and retrieving information.

To be found via the search engines, the site must be spider friendly. Without that, all the content optimisation efforts, link building and the rest of it will be in vain.

For example, all the pages on your site should be accessible via plain text links. Spiders do not read Javascript. They do not appreciate funky graphics, though they are capable of following image-based links. Keywords in the link text please them much more.

Spiders also become hesitant when they see ...

something.php?param1=value1&param2=value2&
param3=value3&param4=spidersgoawayplease;

mygreaturl.php?PHPSESSID=12345678etc...etc...etc...;

... and other sorts of unfriendly things.

We know what to avoid. And we know what is right.

For example, a simple .php extension in your URL is not going to prevent it from being crawled - our own php-based site is confirmation of that.

Trust us, and learn how to become spider friendly.