Search Engine Optimization - Meta Tags in Dynamic Pages

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Meta Tags in Dynamic Pages

Printed From: ProductCart E-Commerce Solutions
Category: ProductCart
Forum Name: Search Engine Optimization
Forum Description: Talk about ways to optimize your ProductCart store for search engines
URL: https://forum.productcart.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=2975
Printed Date: 04-December-2024 at 2:09pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Meta Tags in Dynamic Pages

Posted By: newyorker1212
Subject: Meta Tags in Dynamic Pages
Date Posted: 23-August-2009 at 10:22pm

We used ProductCart and heavily customized it to meet our business needs. In our header.asp file the "metatags-includes.asp" file that dynamically generates meta-tags / keywords for each page, does not work for the custom category templates we created and instead features the store's "default" metatags. I guess this is because the custom category templates are not mentioned in the metatags-includes.asp file.

One option is to go into the "metatags-includes" file and somehow specify each category template, however I am not sure if I would know how to do this. Another option (which I can do) would be to overwrite the default metatag in each of the custom category templates, but I am not sure if this would work. By overwrite I mean, include the full code for metatags and keywords unique to each category template and place it directly above the "header.asp" file which initializes the "metatags-includes.asp" file. Essentially each of my custom category templates would have TWO series of metatags, with the first one being the one I want the spiders to use. Do you know if this option would work?

I don't want to re-hire my old developer each time I need something small done, therefore I want to try to get my hands dirty with the tech stuff so please consider me a "beginner" when you respond with instructions.

Replies:

Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 24-August-2009 at 11:45am

Hi newyorker1212,

Essentially each of my custom category templates would have TWO series of metatags, with the first one being the one I want the spiders to use.

Is this based on sniffing for the user client to see if it's a robot?

Posted By: newyorker1212
Date Posted: 24-August-2009 at 4:09pm

Sean@WMS wrote:

Hi newyorker1212,

Essentially each of my custom category templates would have TWO series of metatags, with the first one being the one I want the spiders to use.

Is this based on sniffing for the user client to see if it's a robot?

I am not sure what you mean, can you please clarify?

I'm simply wondering if I had to series of metatags one on top of the other would the first group of metatags be the one that counts?

example:

FIRST (MANUALLY INPUTTED TO EACH CUSTOM CATEGORY TEMPLATES)

<title>Greatest Furniture in the world</title>
<meta name="keywords" content="chairs, cabinets, closets">
<meta name="description" content="Handcrafted bedrooms and living rooms furniture">
<meta name="robots" content="index,follow">

SECOND (GENERATED DYNAMICALLY)

<title>Shopping cart software: ProductCart by Early Impact</title>
<meta name="keywords" content="shopping cart software,sell online,asp shopping cart,ecommerce software,ecommerce solutions,asp shopping carts,shopping cart program,storefront software,productcart,early impact">
<meta name="description" content="Shopping cart software and ecommerce solutions by Early Impact: ProductCart asp shopping carts are used by thousands of e-commerce Web sites to sell products online.">
<meta name="robots" content="index,follow">

Posted By: Greg Dinger
Date Posted: 24-August-2009 at 4:47pm

I'm going to go with my "gut instinct" that I held back from stating earlier this morning when you first posted. I can understand that you wish to be in a position to be able to manage various aspects of your site without having to hire your developer every time you need to do so. I really understand that.

However, it may be in your best interest to hire that (or any competent) developer to position your web site so that you CAN make such changes.

With that said, I don't see why you would want to (or need to) implement such a solution.

If you have custom category pages and you are not able to get the appropriate title and meta tags onto those pages, then you really ought to have some paid help. What you are asking is not particularly challenging given ProductCart's existing structure, and there are additional strategies that could be implemented if the existing structure simply does not work in your particular case.

It's going to require looking at your site, talking with you to understand what you want to accomplish, and building an appropriate solution. But if Sean's question (which is pretty elementary for a programmer) was beyond your understanding, and with all due respect, I don't think you should be trying to do this alone.

If you botch this, the cost of fixing it (either by re-programming or waiting for the extended period of time it may take to recover from screwed up SEO ranking) may well exceed the cost of just having a developer do it the right way the first time.

Hope this helps.

-------------
GreyBeard Design Group

Certified ProductCart Developer

Web Design/Development/Hosting

http://tinyurl.com/5c8t4t" rel="nofollow - Add-Ons & Custom Code |

Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 24-August-2009 at 4:58pm

Hi have to echo Greg here (and am glad he beat me to the punch here -- was just trying through how to say essentially the same thing, but had a phone call).

I was wondering if you were suggesting that you wanted one set of meta tags for robots and another end-users, but I see that's not what you meant.

I would strongly advise against trying what you were thinking here as you will not only end up with two sets of meta tags (which would take some testing to see which set any given search engine robot will decide to use -- my guess would be the latter set most of the time), but the first set of your meta tags would come out in the wrong place the way you described it here.

You would be much better off customizing the way these are handled vis a vis PC's built in functionality. And I wouldn't say that's entry level scripting -- maybe not even intermediate level stuff.

Posted By: Greg Dinger
Date Posted: 24-August-2009 at 5:10pm

Let me be a bit more pointed about this.

I have seen instances in the past when "black hat" SEO strategies had so thoroughly scarred a site, that only a new domain name could overcome the damage that had been done.

We currently have a domain that is so badly damaged due to their particular circumstances (not SEO related, but similarly damaging) that we are THROWING AWAY the existing domain name and rebuilding the store under a new domain.

Do you really want to expose yourself to such a risk?

-------------
GreyBeard Design Group

Certified ProductCart Developer

Web Design/Development/Hosting

http://tinyurl.com/5c8t4t" rel="nofollow - Add-Ons & Custom Code |

Posted By: Hamish
Date Posted: 29-August-2009 at 7:54am

Hi NewYorker1212,
I'm guessing your example was just that and that you have changed the default metatag values that you used in your posting, but, just in case, they can be modified. See : http://wiki.earlyimpact.com/productcart/seo-meta-tags#editing_the_default_meta_tags - http://wiki.earlyimpact.com/productcart/seo-meta-tags#editing_the_default_meta_tags

-------------
Editing ProductCart Code?

See http://wiki.earlyimpact.com/developers/editcode" rel="nofollow - WIKI Guidelines for Editing ProductCart's ASP Source Code