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Re: skip nav showing in Google

for

From: Philip Pawley
Date: Feb 7, 2002 6:20PM

Google results start, of course, with the page title.

The way Google works for the description section of the search result depends on whether the page (not the site) is listed in the Open Directory.

If it is, Google, starts with excerpts from the page that include the key-words searched for (see below). Then it uses the Open Directory description and finishes with the category the page is listed in.

If the page isn't listed in the Open Directory, Google just uses excerpts from the page that include the key-words searched for.

Google seems to have a preference for anchor text in these excerpts. It does *not* stick to the top of the page.

For example, in my site, http://www.alexanderworks.org/ I have the code for the navigation bar after the code for the rest of the page - using the same basic table layout that Mary uses in http://www.childrensgardengrandblanc.com . How I wish Google would use earlier excerpts in preference to later ones!

Alas, if the search was for a word that appears in one of the navigation links, Google almost always passes over more appropriate excepts in the body of the page and uses, instead, a list of links. :-(

Some other points:
1. Google will often, but not always, use the h1 tag. Sometimes it will omit that from its excerpts even though the tag contains searched-for keywords. This seems to occur when the tag does not contain *all* the key-words
2. Google also, sometimes, for my pages, starts the description with my logo's alt text *even though this does not contain any searched-for keywords*. (My logo is a link to the home page so maybe this illustrates Google's preference for anchor text).

I hope that helps. If anyone can elucidate any further than I have managed, *please* let me know.

All the best,

--
Philip Pawley
Liverpool, UK
http://www.alexanderworks.org/
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