Utah Search Engine Optimization: Avoid the Internal Search Results Catastrophe

SearchEngineLand.com recently published an article1 that offers good information for Utah search engine optimization professionals as well as other SEOs across the nation and beyond. The article discusses an SEO topic that isn't commonly targeted as an area of SEO interest since it lies in the shadow of much-discussed issues that may include keyword research, Flash/optimization issues, optimized content, search engine site maps, etc.

However, the issue the article presents is a valuable one for Utah search engine optimization professionals and others.

Utah Search Engine Optimization Professionals and the Desire for Google-Kosher ContentM

Early on, the searchengineland.com article quotes some of the Google guidelines for webmasters2:

“Use robots.txt to prevent crawling of search results pages or other auto-generated pages that don't add much value for users coming from search engines.”

This quote may galvanize a debate among Utah search engine optimization professionals among others. Why? Well, some online commerce professionals might claim that the Google “regulation” doesn't make sense, at least not when extremely interpreted (i.e. getting rid of all the internal results).

An Issue for Utah Search Engine Optimization Professionals

The issue or the debate over internal search results is moderation vs. an extreme contumacy against all internal “search results page or other auto-generated pages.” For Utah search engine optimization professionals with an online store and various lists of products generated via internal searches this issue might specifically be of interest.

The Debate a Utah Search Engine Optimization Professional Can Participate In

Both sides of the moderation vs. extremism debate support the idea that internally generated results shown by search engines are simply not as useful as product pages that provide more graphics and more information. After all, the search engines clearly want to provide value for their search engine users and it's hard to provide value when an online searcher is typing the phrase buy bike in Utah and finds a list of internal results that may include results for additional sporting equipment, results about recreation, results that include company information, etc. Perhaps the “bike website” also sells health food and fishing licenses and those results would be presented as well. The process simply isn't organized or dependable. However, However, should Google really penalize a website that has quality products but not enough money to fund a massive product content campaign?

A Vote for Moderation regarding Internal Results Listings

Some Utah search engine professionals might prefer a more moderated approach. For instance, what about categorized search results? Wouldn't those present clear (at least fairly clear) options for an online visitor. Let's say for instance that you typed in the phrase Groundhog's Day Movie into the Google search box and found a categorized list of movies one of which would be Groudhog's Day. Some Utah search engine professionals might be able to get away with these types of listings (consider Amazon's internal product results listing for example) for a while but better content and an easier streamlined process will inevitably win the Google game. After all, if you could choose between an attractive page devoted to Groundhog's Day instead of a drab list of movie options, you'd probably be more likely to buy the movie and in addition you'd probably save time doing it as well. So, does that mean you should go all the way and start creating more exciting product pages as quickly as possible?

The answer is that yes you probably should.

What should a Utah search engine optimization professional do?

Remember, your robots.txt file is not going to keep search engines away from your internal results pages. In fact, search engines can't enter queries into your website's search box but they can follow links, which means that only a lack of links to your website's internal results pages will keep the search engines from indexing those ill favored pages.

What should a Utah search engine optimization professional do next?

The next step towards higher quality search results that Google does want to index, requires better content for (at the very least) your most popular and sought after products. The product content should include photos (or graphics) and well written text that includes the product's name and other key terms.

Just think better usability and you'll start thinking like a Google-ite.

1 http://searchengineland.com/070312-104201.php
2 http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35769

Marci Crane is a copywriter for Main10 in Orem, Utah. For more information in regards to Utah search engine optimization services, please feel free to contact a Main10 representative.