1. Does Using Php Hinder Your Seo Efforts?
I often hear website owners in forums etc. Asking if using PHP, ASP or any other server side scripting
language can hinder the effectiveness of sites from an SEO standpoint. The answer is no, but here's
a little more information.
PHP and ASP are very popular server side scripting languages. There are others such as Pearl,
Python and Cold Fusion but PHP and ASP seem to be more common. Server side scripting
languages are often used in conjunction with a database such as MySQL. In essence the scripts grab
information from the database and create web pages on the fly to display to website visitors and
search engine crawlers.
This method of creating web pages allows for many web pages to be easily created and managed
and is used by popular systems such as Wordpress and Joomla.
The concern some people have is they believe HTML pages are more effective when it comes to
being found and indexed by search engines. This is wrong. When a server side script creates a web
page the resulting web page is HTML in just the same way a static HTML page is HTML. Web
browsers read and understand HTML and that's what server side scripts send to them.
It is fair to say that some scripts create 'messy' HTML but it's still HTML nonetheless and systems
using server side scripts offer many advantages over simple static HTML pages and will not hinder
your SEO efforts. One things for sure, you shouldn't avoid PHP and ASP because you think it will
harm your SEO efforts.
A descriptive and catchy page title is one of the key elements of SEO - whether or not your site uses
PHP - since it becomes the linked title of your search engine listing. Use the name of your site in the
title to encourage branding, along with a brief capsule about the specific page. Remember that the
title displays at the top of the browser window and in the menu bar, so keep it brief, less than 160
characters. Avoid using identical titles on multiple pages (this can easily happen with dynamically
generated titles) because they may not be listed individually, and if they are listed separately, it's
confusing. Meta tags for description and keywords have become less crucial to SEO - but that doesn't
mean you should forget about them.
The basic principles of SEO that apply to static HTML sites also apply to dynamic PHP sites:
1. Provide engaging and valuable content presented in an attractive design.
2. Code should be error-free and standards-compliant.
3. Use keywords appropriate to your subject matter - don't be tempted to use "tricks" that might end
up hurting your search engine listing.
4. Encourage repeat visits with frequent updates, interactive features, membership sign-up, opt-in
newsletters and, if appropriate, "freebies" - contests, giveaways, downloads and other resources.
5. Encourage linking to your site with copy & paste code. Reciprocal links build partnerships and
enhance page rank, but avoid hosting bulky "link farms" and other venues for worthless web site
spam.
6. Make use of tools provided by the search engines, such as creating a sitemap.

2. 7. Educate yourself by reading the search engine faqs, as well as by perusing some independent
forums for SEO tips and methods.
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