Top of page text for SEs

how to get it right?

[tkroll]

I just built my site and realized when simulating spiders (with Poodle & Lynx) that the order of my page text leaves something to be desired.

The first text that appears is my navbar followed by my cart:

Help • Contact • Site Map • Cart

then some actual keywords and then:

Items: 0 ¦ Total: $0.00

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What are some techniques to get my good text above the unnecessary. From the SEs' perspective, wouldn't:

My Site Title
This site is about this, etc, etc.

be better for the user than this:

My Site Title
Help • Contact • Site Map • CartItems: 0 ¦ Total: $0.00

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A major site redesign is not an option right now. Is there a way to hide the offending text with tags? I know images are an option.

Or is there a way to move the text up in the code but have it appear in the proper location on screen. Maybe a layer with absolute positioning set to page bottom?

I'd love to hear everyones' ideas! Thanks.

[harleyx]

Absolute positioning would do it

[tkroll]

Would this be spamming? The user will see the text. It will just be somewhere else on the page. Thanks.

[TreeShare]

I had the exact same concern, and I've tried to solve it "the other way around". By which I mean, I've now made sure that there's a small paragraph of appropriately descriptive text that is the first text on the page.

I don't really know how effective it is, and it certainly doesn't seem to be a popular thing to do - you don't see it much. <snip>
It's the rounded box at upper left.

What I can say is that my site is now listed on some search engines with that text, which was the point.

[edited by: Woz at 7:57 am (utc) on May 16, 2005]
[edit reason] No self URLs please, see TOS#13 [/edit]

[webtress]

I have used both absolute positioning and the graphics method, depending on the design.

Would this be spamming? The user will see the text. It will just be somewhere else on the page. Thanks

No, you are not hiding the text.

[tkroll]

What is the graphics method?