Web Site Design Mistakes – Database Parameters In URLs

Creating a web site takes thought, planning and execution. Unfortunately, many designs are dead in the water before they are even published as far as search engine optimization is concerned. Whatever you do, avoid these critical mistakes.

Database Parameters in URL

Many web site designers don’t take into account the effect of database parameters in site URLs. A database parameter tells the server what should be loaded onto a particular page when a viewer tries to see it. In essence, the page is “dynamic” because it is being pulled together with each click. Robot programs that are used by search engines to index sites hate dynamic pages. Often, they will not even index the pages and the page of your site is not listed in the search engine.

Let’s look at an example using the Nomad Adventure Journals site. The home page URL is aptly, http://www.nomadjournals.com - a static page. In this URL, there are no parameters telling the server to load anything other than a static web page. All search engines will index this page without any problem.

Now, what if we changed the page to something dynamic. Let’s say we designed it to record the session identification [identify the viewer] and dynamically load the pictures on the page. We would have one parameter for the session identification and four parameters for the various pictures on the page. The URL for the home page might look something like: http://www.4buildweb.com


What a mess. A search engine robot is going to balk at indexing such pages. It simply can’t tell what is on the page. If you have parameters and session identifications in the URLs of your site pages, you are going to have a very difficult time getting into the search engine rankings. Obviously, that precludes you from getting any top rankings and free traffic.

Fixing The Problem

Fixing the problem often is lengthy and costly depending on the number of pages on your site. If you have over 100 products, a complete re-design may be the best answer. If you have a relatively small number of pages, there may be less brutish options.

Converting pages to static html is a definite solution for smaller sites. Essentially, one would take the page for each product and convert it into a static html page. The domain would then be converted to short sub-domain. If a user then clicked on the “buy” button for the product on the page, they would be sent to a dynamic database page. The viability of this solution is dependent upon the layout of the site. Some sites can be fixed, some simply cannot.

In Closing

The database parameter problem is surprisingly common with sites selling products. A majority of site designers do not understand search engine optimization and don’t realize the problem they are creating. If you intend to build a database driven site, make sure you bring in a search engine optimization specialist before it is created. Nobody wants to spend the money to design a site twice.

How Database Development Can Make Your Life Easier

If you run a portion of your business online, you know how hard it can be to get the right elements for a user friendly site. A few years ago when the World Wide Web was still new, establishing a free website that helped your business in a measurable way was fairly simple. You registered your domain name, went to a free hosting company, grabbed a simple five to twenty-five page template, and plugged in your company information. Denver database development was a burgeoning business back then. But in the last few years, being successful on the web has become more difficult.

As web users become more and more savvy and as websites become more and more sophisticated, the requirements for a good site have increased. What a consumer thought was usable and well designed five years ago has drastically changed. Today, your potential customers have some unspoken standards they expect to be met when they come to your site.

In order to live up to these standards, you are going to have to move beyond the web templates and perhaps beyond the relatively skilled web designer. Fortunately, as the needs of internet merchants have become more complex, the abilities of Denver database development teams have advanced as well. So when you need to move beyond the basics, look for database development, Denver or otherwise, that can sit down with you and analyze your needs.

The basis of database development is simply the integration of information into a software program that can store, sort, and display the information pieces on command. This software can take on a number of appearances though, depending on the needs of the site owner.
One of the most common database development projects is for product inventory. If you think of your favorite retail website, you can picture a fine example of this type of system. Products, or in some cases, services, are stored in the database and then displayed at the user’s command by either a click or a keyword search function. Then the database serves up some related items in the margins that this type of customer might also like. Sophisticated versions of an inventory software system can also maintain viewing histories for each user automatically, queuing up recent searches and items of interest when the user returns.

An effective inventory database will work seamlessly both with a precise search function and with a kink-free shopping cart. It is difficult for the average site owner to create and maintain a system of this level, so Denver database development is necessary to achieve a quality experience for new and returning customers.

Database development is not limited to inventory systems though. In fact, there are a number of uses for customized databases, including email lists culled from frequent visitors, client contact and shipping information, pricing charts and systems, as well as scheduling. If you offer your expertise on site at various locations, you can enlist the help of database developers to create a system that will allow you to plug in the dates and locations of your next appearances. Do the same with multiple store locations, maps, and personnel contact information.