Frames were once a common problem on websites. The seemingly insignificant feature of framing content in separate boxes on the page caused very significant havoc with the ranking of a page. These days, they are less popular, but still come up as an issue now and again.
A frame allows you to display numerous and separate documents on the window of your page. The frames divide the page into box-shaped subspaces which are independent of the rest of the page. Each of the boxes can be scrolled without affecting the others, can load links and generally behaves like a different page. Google’s image viewer is a good example of this – when you click on an image in a search it directs you to a framed page before you decide to click through to the image itself.
Frames might sound like a handy feature on a page, but they have caused serious headaches to web designers, search engine optimisation experts and site owners alike. Many web designers found that the flaws in the design outweighed any potential benefit to the client, and began to discourage their use. That said, frames can still be found all over the net and it is important to know how to deal with them.
There are a number of issues that come up when you use frames. Problems come up when a user tries to access framed content that has been cached, as the cached version may only show one frame. You can’t always guarantee what areas of the page the search engines will display with frames, and you have less control over the look of a framed page in general.
Not all of the problems with frames are related to SEO. Many web designers avoid them because they are so hard to work with, both in the coding stage and when internet users come to use them. There can also be accessibility problems. Some browsers don’t support frames, leaving out whole chunks of the page unless the ‘noframes’ code is set out properly. There tend to be CSS problems with frames as well.
What can you do if your site features frames? Like any other non search engine-friendly design element, frames can be worked around by a knowledgeable SEO professional, and you can talk to us at David Rendel Marketing about these kinds of problems. Basically, much like Flash content, frames place a limitation on what you can do with your site.
It takes a bit of work to manoeuvre around frames. The wisest move is to carefully create your ‘noframes’ code so that an entire version of the page will be available for display, regardless of what goes wrong. This takes up extra time that could be spent on other elements of your site, and it’s up to the individual site owner to decide whether frames are worth it. It’s important to note that if you do use frames, it’s vital to set the document type correctly. For this reason, it’s not a good idea to work with them unless you have significant coding experience.
This blog was written over 6 months ago and Internet Marketing and SEO is an always changing industry which means the information within this blog may be out of date. Use caution when using any methods or suggestions within it.
