Marcia - 5:07 am on Mar 23, 2001 (gmt 0)

Perhaps this would be a good time to interject with an evaluation of what we're all doing, what our intended goals are and how well the tools we use help us reach our goals.

This is, as its stated purpose, a forum format web site about the subject of Search Engine Optimization. This particular forum within the site is "Browsers, HTML and Page Design," subtitled:

"Q&A around the grand topic, HTML, the heart and soul of the net."

HTML is indeed the heart and soul - the foundational tool upon which the internet is based and always will be, until the day comes when something else is found takes its place. That day has not yet come.

HTML is our tool. The W3C is the organization founded to standardize HTML - to establish standards by which we, the webmasters and those who make browsers, have a benchmark for accuracy and standardization. This is a good thing.

The stated purpose of the search engines is to provide relevant search results for the searchers - they are committed to that not only on principle, but as a matter of business necessity.

The job of the SEO community, which consists of seasoned professionals, semi-professionals, and scores of avid, serious students of the art and science of SEO, is to constuct web pages and web sites for themselves or their clients that will also present accurate, relevant results to searchers.

Bottom line - SEOs and search engines are on the same page with that.

In evaluating the value of any tool or piece of software, how well it contributes to accomplishing that purpose is what determines its efficacy - in other words, how well does it conform to the W3C HTML standards upon which the search engine spiders, browsers, SEOs and their clients, as well as searchers, rely to achieve adequate results.

Notepad passes the litmus test with flying colors - you type the code to conform to standards, and what you see in that code is what the spiders will see, and also what will be seen on the pages.

The criteria for judging whether Front Page is a good tool is how well it conforms to W3C standards - no more, no less.

Are Front Page themes in compliance with any given, acceptable standards? NO they are not. Do Front Page Extensions need proprietary modifications done so that they can be functional on most of the web servers in use? Yes they do. Does Front Page create code that conforms to standards? No it does not.

A tool can only be judged by whether it is contributing to the efficiency of doing the job. If it is hindering, it must be discarded.

I do not see any bashing at all...what I see is people who have found that they are being hindered by a tool which does not do the job as it should be done.

Robert_Charlton's original question was not "How do I learn to use proprietary software". His question was how to optimize his client's site in spite of the hindrances he is experiencing with this proprietary software.

The subject is search engine optimization - if Front Page is a good tool for accomplishing this, I think I would need to see, rather than a subjective, biased opinion, a detailed study of a couple of thousand search results demonstrating how Front Page is being effectively used to create good HTML pages and get decent search engine results for the site owners.

If that can be adequately demonstrated, then it would make a good case for using Front Page to maintain a site. Otherwise, it is not bashing, but merely stating the facts that FP is a hindrance, and only makes the job harder.

>but it's a good program for many. ;)
If anyone can demonstrate how it's a good program for search engine optimization, I'd surely like to hear about it.