Google sim spider

Is there one?

[Munster]

I have been using the WW simspider for some research. I have run it over a page that in my opinion is over coded, butfor some reason the text in the page is not appearing in the spider text of the simspider results. The only spider text appearing is the links that run across the top of the page. The body text (which may be content managed) is not in a frame and does appear in the source code for the page. what could be making this invisible to the simspider?

[TheDave]

It may be a small html error like a missing closing tag or something like that. Have you tried validating the html?

[Munster]

I'll try that Dave, but if there was a mistake in the code would the page still work ok?

[Brett_Tabke]

We do not know how the depth of forgiveness of search engine html processors. From real world experience, most agree that they are some of the most forgiving interpreters available. They are much more street html friendly than most browsers. Even if there is a major error, it will most often just bury the page deep in the rankings. However, when presenting a utility such as a spider simulator, we have to go the other way towards strictness because we just don't know for sure.

[Munster]

I just validated the html, very messy,it said that the td tag was not opened or was closed too many times, I also ran wpgold2 over the page and that did pick up the body text!

[Munster]

Thanks Brett, so does that mean that the sim spider will not pick up text if the td tags are not closed correctly?

[killroy]

Dude, jsut play it save and validate ALL your pages... always a good bet.

I wish Google wouldlead teh way in regards to that... I've seen the compos, folks HAVE prodiced validating Google homepages without adding size...

GoogleGuy, what's the concesus at Googleplex? After all it'll be a quick change and minor at that...

SN

[vincevincevince]

with the vast majority of users using IE or Mozilla, which are both fairly forgiving, it would be foolish, nah stupid, to cut out any site that those users cannot see... as well as pissing off a lot of lazy webmasters.

[Munster]

The problem is that I have to tell my client that the site that he spent 200k on (not with me)has to be re coded!