Getting Secured Pages Indexed

Ecommerce & Member Account Sites

[SLIGuru]

I know that database-driven pages (ASP) are indexable by the Google search engine crawlers/spiders, but are secured pages indexable? Secured pages such as ecommerce product pages, or member account information pages.

[paynt]

Hi SLIGuru and welcome to Webmasterworld. Sorry we didn't get right back to you but a chunk of the regular posters were in Boston.

Are you asking about pasword protected sites? Or like shopping carts? I'm not sure, sorry but someone else might come along with an answer but I need more information.

[SLIGuru]

Thanks for responding. I am referring to both types of pages, shopping cart product pages and secured login pages.

[mrguy]

Pages that require a password to enter the page can not be indexed.

How is the Googlebot supposed to know what the password is? If it protected, Google assumes you don't want everybody to see it.

Some shopping carts can be indexed.

I've seen a lot of .asp carts and some .php carts but have yet to see any .cgi carts get indexed.

[SLIGuru]

Thanks for the info! That makes a lot of sense.

[daroz]

A tangential topic, but not in the FAQ so I'll toss it out...

If I've got "Widgets Inc." corporate site and I have a series of pages I serve up only via SSL secured pages. (We'll say they're publically available, like signup requirements mabye...)

Will GoogleBot follow a link to an https URL?

(P.S. Mods may want to add this one to the FAQ if we get a good definitive answer)

[ruserious]

Yes it does. Search for "Google Adwords" and the first result is an https-URL from Google itself. ;)