Does javascript have negative impact?

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Does javascript have negative impact?

Reno

3:32 am on Jul 2, 2002 (gmt 0)

I use a fair amount of javascript on many of our most important pages. I always put that script *under* the <title> + <meta> tags, so it sits just before </head>. If I add up all the style tags & miscellaneous javascripts, it might be as much as a hundred lines of code.

Does Google just "jump over" this script (so to speak), then go into the text in the <body>, or, does javascript drive the spider away if it is more than just a few lines?

Air

3:38 am on Jul 2, 2002 (gmt 0)

How are your pages with all the javascript doing on Google rankingwise, good?

Reno

4:05 am on Jul 2, 2002 (gmt 0)

Your reply prompted me to once again consider installing the google toolbar, so I can check my own pagerank. But then starting to do that reminded me why I've not yet done the installation, and it raises 2 quick questions:

1] If I do the installation for the sole purpose of seeing pagerank, does it matter whether I use "Install with advanced features" or "install without advanced features" ?

2] And, when the toolbar is installed, can it be "turned off" easily? or is it there all the time?

Air

4:16 am on Jul 2, 2002 (gmt 0)

1) doesn't matter

2) it can easily be turned off (or uninstalled)

Filipe

4:17 am on Jul 2, 2002 (gmt 0)

To turn off the Google toolbar in IE, simply right-click the toolbar, and deselect "Google". Pops right off, leaves no mess.

buckworks

4:33 am on Jul 2, 2002 (gmt 0)

My own experience has convinced me that it makes you more competitive in the SERPs if you take steps to reduce code clutter. At the very least it's a can't-hurt-might-help thing, and some strategies that reduce code clutter are worth doing for other reasons in any case.

Consider moving your style tags into an external stylesheet that several pages could link to, or moving some of those javascripts into external .js files. If the same files are reused on several pages, your visitors will have a slightly faster experience as they move around the site (always a good thing), and you'll also save a bit of bandwidth (every bit helps). It makes site maintenance easier too, because if you need to update something you only need to do it in one file, not on multiple pages.

Visit Thailand

4:39 am on Jul 2, 2002 (gmt 0)

Installation is simple I have just installed it and it now sits beneath Alexa. Seems very simple ti use and as mentioned easy to switch off.

ciml

11:31 am on Jul 2, 2002 (gmt 0)

I'm not a big fan of the code clutter argument, but "can't-hurt-might-help" is generally a good reason for doing or not doing things. There have been concerns about Google trying to detect "sneaky redirects" automatically; if they do then there's a risk of guilt by association.

It is worth watching out for some characters (eg. "<" inside an attribute) as Googlebot can get confused.