> Just because you use DHTML, Flash and other non-searchable binary web
> applications does not mean you forget the search engines. It just
> takes a little more work and expertise. For example, with flash you
> include (noflash) and with javascript, you include text hrefs at the
> bottom.. you test and create search friendly sites while still using
> high impact technology. As member Bob Minnick, who I consider a search
> engine expert, has taught; there is a lot more than just using text
> links to gaining high ranks at the search engines and there are good
> ways around the use of binary streams that don't sacrifice impact and
> quality.
> 

 I've followed this thread with considerable interest although it is somewhat off topic 
to list. And it seems to me there are several issues here which are quite interesting. 
And I admit to being somewhat embarassed by Craig's comments. 

 I think its important for every designer to understand that the bells and whistles of 
web design, dhtml, java, flash, etc can all have a unwelcome impact on the ranking 
of a website. However if you talk to a master mechanic and look at his tool box, you 
will find he has tools for very specialized purposes as well as the common general 
tools. The bells and whistles of web design are tools. If you understand them in the 
context of their impact on a search engine spider, you can use them without taking a 
hit on getting a site indexed. Know your tools, and what the search engines see them 
as and you will not have a problem. Fail to understand them, or worse yet, ignore 
their limitations, and six months after deploying a site you will have an angry client 
screaming for a refund. 

 Lorrie understands, as I do, that a significant number of people living in the rural 
areas are limited to 56K. She might not realize that she's actually sort of local to me, 
being roughly 80-90 miles away. Its not really a big deal to build a site that loads in a 
reasonable time frame at 56K. Our take has always been, to build for the best speed 
attainable by a regular modem. And considering the poor quality of our phone lines, 
our own lines gave us just that.

 As far as resolution goes, yes I do surf the net at 1280x1024 full screen. Does that 
mean that everyone does? Of course it doesn't. Build for the default resolution that 
they are shipping computers at, that's what we do. Our last new computer purchase 
(6 dells) arrived with machines set at 800x600. Understand that we know changing 
resolution is a piece of cake and can be accomplished with two clicks in under a 
minute. But a vast majority of the people out there don't know that, and never change 
their screen resolution. 

 Finally I see a lot of helpful comments concerning Lorrie and her business, but have 
yet to see anyone ask if she's bothered to analyze the traffic flow of her site.  When 
faced with a dilemma like a business tettering, you can start applying changes willy 
nilly in the hopes that at least one of them will make a difference. Or you can sit 
down and analyze the problem, then come up with a reasonable solution set to apply. 

 The log files should tell you. Are the bulk of the hits to the mainpage and mainpage 
only? Are the number of email contacts received from the in-site form matching the 
number of hits to that form? Where are the hits coming from and how does that 
reflect the previous promotion of the website? And finally, is it really reasonable to 
expect a large volume of traffic for such a narrowly focused website? Considering the 
content of the site, I'd have to say no, its not reasonable to expect more than a few 
hundred hits a month, after all, its just another Website Design website. There are 
millions of them out there, and only so many people looking for a website. But I'd say 
the same thing if she were selling real estate or selling Fiddle Faddles. When you 
narrowly focus your site, you also narrowly focus your traffic.  Thats just common 
sense folks. Think about it and you'll see why.

 We also saw a hit following 9/11, but by october, our traffic was back up to normal, 
and our subscriptions were approaching normal. I think that to blame the 911 attack 
is a mistake. Since 911 we've seen major economic goofs like worldcom, enron, a 
stock market in a downward spiral. I think if there is any problem, its more like a 
general uncertainty of where the economy is going. People just aren't spending like 
they used to, and neither am I. I do wish Lorrie, nothing but the best and hope she 
can weather the tough times. But I think she needs to take a step back from the 
"look" of her design and think about the overall problem. Just changing the look of a 
site isn't going to bring in more customers.

 	Bob Minnick, Northern Webs

Northern Webs, http://www.northernwebs.com
208.265.0474

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