Image maps

Does Google index "hotspots"?

[Bobby]

I put up a site 2 months ago with just over 100 pages linked to thru a script. Not taking any chances I created an image map with lots of "hotspots" to all the pages that can only be accessed thru the script. Yahoo has indexed them all, but Google has only indexed the 20 pages that had regular text links and none that are linked to thru the image map.

Does Google have difficulty indexing image maps?

[Clint]

FWIW, I don't know if this helps, but according to G, their bot doesn't recognize text on/within images. I don't mean an image OF text, but actual text WITHIN an image. You know, how for example some nav buttons are made. It's an image, but via HTML code you can place your navigational titles within the button images. The G-bot won't see these. Could have something to do with your image map.

To clarify things, you many want to clarify if you mean image coordinates (which I think you do mean). Just make a site map to be on the safe side. Doesn't have to necessarily be a G site map, just a page with your links on it.

(I won't know if you reply to this since this site STILL refuses to send out email notification of replies).

[Bobby]

Hi Clint,

By "image map" I mean with coordinates, for example:

<area href="somepage.htm" shape="rect" coords="616, 98, 757, 111">

I got fed up with Google not indexing the pages after 2 months (but Yahoo indexed nearly all) and finally re-created the site map with traditional text links.

In any event I'd like to know if anyone has had pages indexed which only had links to them thru an "image map" (with coordinates).

[Wizard]

Google is very reluctant to index anything but regular A HREF links placed in document BODY. Recently, I noticed that Google does not follow links inside NOSCRIPT and NOFRAMES, so I'm not surprised at all that it didn't follow your imagemap.

You'd agree, that imagemaps can be used to put hidden links, wouldn't you? That'd be possible reason. MSN and Yahoo don't worry for being manipulated as much as Google does.

That's why Google results are less spammed, at least in some subject categories.

[Bobby]

Google jumped all over the new site map with normal links, guess I've learned my lesson.

We'll see how long it takes for the pages to get indexed.

You make an interesting poing about hidden links, that could be done in the NOSCRIPT and NOFRAMES tags too.