All Images - NO Text

Posible to get decent rankings?

[skibum]

:):):)

It definately helps to have text on a page in HTML text format when in search of rankings. Unfortunately it is not always possible to convince a client that an all image site is not the best SEO strategy.

Has anyone had success promoting an all text in image format site with no cloaking, no doorways, no Index Connect, no Trusted Feed, and a design that is already set in stone and almost finished (IE very unlikely to change)?

Can heavy use of alt tags, titles, and metas comined with a decent existing link pop and directory listings overcome a lack of everything else?

A text link site map may be possible but not much else.

[oilman]

cloak that sucker :)

[IanTurner]

Agree with oilman - your only option

[tedster]

I'd tell the client they've committed SE suicide by treating the web as if it were print. Maybe you could talk them into a "printer friendly" set of pages and fill those full of text.

[ebgreen]

Poormans cloaking - Use an invisble frame and a bust out of frames script.

[galaga]

I've been wondering about these issues because I've just made a site with lots of graphical links (rollovers without Alt tags) and because it's a mobile phone ringtone site there is virtually no text apart from long lists of current pop songs. I don't want to get all caught up with things like cloaking (I don't know how all that stuff works for a start) but I just wonder if I am committing search engine suicide?

[ebgreen]

The business your in is very hard to get a ranking in anyway. Almost every mobile phone company is using a search engine optimization company. It will be very hard for you to get a ranking from what you are doing now.

[ciml]

How about...

"Dear Sirs, after analysing your existing Web site we feel that you would get better value for money by having a quick loading, highly usable, Web friendly, disabled accessible and search engine optimised Web site for those people who are already looking for your products and services. Your fantastic text-free "webvert" could still be used by those visitors who see the address on your very expensive television adverts and wish to continue the experience."

This gives you the ability to repurpose their content in a Web friendly manner. The beauty of this approach is that as well as having a much easier SEO job, they'll find after a while that the original 'deeziner' site doesn't actually generate sales, so you get the full contract at the next round.

Calum

[skiguide]

hey skibum,

I've said it before, I'll say it again - manage client expectations very carefully.

I've had this problem too - luckily, the site wasn't a direct sell site- but they wanted it up there to enhance credibility for their products, support brand identity, and link to different "Where to buy" sites monthly or whenever.

The client was made aware they would only possibly come up for their name, and at least be found with their name + product category.

Standard title, description tags were used - google will use descr. if it has nothing else to read, but I noticed they were returning alt tags in their description for this site, so I made a few adjustments to those for more, accurate keywords. I put in the <no frames> tag just in case, too -but I haven't seen much come of that yet.

Of course it all depends on the competitiveness of the industry - if it's average, you shouldn't have to cloak.

[ebgreen]

I have read that you need to set the frame borders on the no frames tag at around three pixels to prvent any problems with the search engines reading the frame. As long as the background is the same color on both the framed and non-framed pages there should be no problem.

You can also try using a layer to get words on a page with no or very little text.