Forum Moderators: Robert Charlton & goodroi
Basically, I have numerous pages with content (4000+) that should only be accessible by registered users. If I use a structure similiar to whats describe below, Will google still index these pages for their content?
I heard google like 'big' websites.
NOTE: the 'isLOggedIn.php' script checks to see if the user is signed in. If true, stay on the page, else, redirect (using header())to 'not registered page'.
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<?php include('../include/isLoggedIn.php');?>
<html>
..
..
<p>My page content here</p>
..
..
</html>
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Thanks for any insight you can give me...much appreciated.
If you require a login before viewing your content then no, Googlebot will not be able to access the page. You can use cloaking to allow access to specific spiders whilst requiring a login for other users, but in that case even if you get a click-thru from the SERPs the overwhelming majority of potential visitors will simply click the back button rather than registering just to view the page.
You can't have your cake and eat it, as they say... If you want your content indexed and viewed, then you have to lower the barriers to access.
Again, Thanks.
And I see no point discussing the obvious, that Google should index the content for not logged users - first, because everyone can pretend to be Googlebot and fetch the content for Google, second - it's wrong to stuff Google results which require registration - it's stealing time from people who follow such result and face necessity to register instead of content they were looking for. Google is expected and very likely to penalize such site.
Design the page using two seperate CSS's....one that makes the content 'hidden' to users who are not logged in, and the other which makes the content 'visible' when the user is logged in....
I know anyone can view the source to get the content, but will Google index the content even if the visibility property for the surrounding tag is set to 'hidden'?
Thanks, I needed that laugh.
Lets see replace cloak by hidden text. rinse and repeat.
If you get my drift.
I would allow Google to spider the pages only if the pages were open to the public, otherwise folks are going to feel misled and might ask Google to take a look.
It's your site so the call is yours, it is Google's index so they determine what is findable when folks use it.
If you go with any of the mentioned methods you best have someway of promoting the site that doesn't involve search engines.
You could split your content up into a private/paid/subscription section blocked off from the search engines and a section that is open that you allow the search engines to spider but say runs a few weeks etc. behind the closed section.
