Splash Page

How do you optomize a splash page for search engines?

[Captaffy]

I can't say I know much about SEO. Generally I just rely on good content to do the work for me.

Unfortunately, the web site I am currently working on has a splash page. It needs to have a splash page because the user must be able to choose from between an English or French version.

The content on the splash page consists of the institution's logo, the name in both English and French, and an ad of sorts (in text) for the hosting company. (The institution is not-for-profit, so one of their sponsors donates the hosting.)

I'm not sure what to do with this page. Should I just load up the keywords and description metatags? Should I stop spiders from indexing this page and let them find both the English and French homepages?

I am also concerned with the text for the hosting company being used in the description of the site. Do you think I should include this text as an image?

[korkus2000]

Make it an index page of sorts. Try not to just have a page with 2 buttons. Do you know what language will use it more? Make the page in that language and have the link to the other page language at the top. You could also try the same thing with a pop up window. The SE don't see it and you could set a language cookie for future reference.

here is a good thread on the issue.
[webmasterworld.com...]

[martinibuster]

Definitely do the first page host link as an image, IMO. Why let irrelevant information dilute the relevance of YOUR web site.

If you can put a couple paragraphs lower down on the page "explaining" who you are, even in two languages, that would be preferable. It can be done in a visually acceptable style.

I think that clients sometimes tend to fall in love with a look, bloated javascript tricks, etc that do nothing for their stated goals, which is generating a web presence so that they can serve information or promote/sell a product. If you have a shop with a great display, why black out the windows so no one can see inside?

[Jack_Straw]

In many cases you can eliminate the splash page by coming up in a default mode and allowing the visitor to change from the page.

It sounds like you agree that, when it is possible, it usually provides a superior user interface to avoid splash pages.

Pick English or French as the default and show the home page in that language. Then, on each page, show an option (in the other language) to switch languages.

For example, dump the splash page and show the english home page to all visitors. Show "En Francais" (If that is correct - I don't really know french) on the english page. And, show "In English" on the french page.

You can improve this technique with a little IP cloaking (of the non-seo variety). You can guess the geographic area of the visitor from the ip address and use that to determine whether the default page should be in french or english.