A newbie's question...

Googlebot and FW - Friends or Foes (or none of the above...)?

[AfiComp]

Hi all,
First, as the subject line clearly states - I'm new to this realm, so be gentle with me... :)

Second -
Does "hiding" a site behind a firewall has any effect on the googlebot's ability to crawl it? or, to be more specific, could it possibaly hurt the site's PR?

Third -
I the above is true, what is the "golden path" to follow in this matter (simply removing the FW is, obviously, not a real option)?

Thank you all in advance :)
AfiComp

[bhartzer]

As long as the website is available to public users, there shouldn't be a problem. If someone can get to it by typing in its web address in a web browser, then there shouldn't be a problem with Googlebot being able to see it.

[AfiComp]

Thanks!
Let me refine my question even further -
Are you absolutely sure the PR can't be hurt by the use of the FW (I know the bot can crawl my site - it's indexed...)?

10X again,
AfiComp

[GoogleGuy]

Shouldn't have any effect, AfiComp. As long as port 80 is open, so surfers and bots alike can enjoy the tasty content you serve up (Mmm, crunchy site maps, delicious dynamic pages, and minty freshness!), your rankings and PageRank should do well.

[AfiComp]

10X a lot! :)

Now I can, finally, sleep at nights once more ... ;)

AfiComp