View Full Version : Google Description??

l234244
07-14-2004, 04:23 PM
Is there a set method for determining how google displays a description of your site. I believed that it would normally follow the meta name description, for example my new site:

Dolphin Posters (http://www.dolphinposters.biz)

Has this in the <head>

<META name="description" Content="Dolphins posters online - Greatest collection of dolphin pictures and dolphin prints online.">

Yet in the search engine results displays something different, see for yourself:
http://www.google.com/search?q=dolphin+posters&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&start=380&sa=N

It appears to have incorporated the H1 tag and the first paragraph into the description.

Also, is there a way where the spider can be focused to read tables in order, in other words to read the central table before the left and top table. Dunno if that makes sense???

Cheers Michael
jocelyn
07-14-2004, 04:33 PM
Google does this. It picks the description, but often add part of the page with a high density of the searched keywords. Can't really control this.
jocelyn
07-14-2004, 04:36 PM
[QUOTE=l234244]Also, is there a way where the spider can be focused to read tables in order, in other words to read the central table before the left and top table. Dunno if that makes sense???
[/QUOTE]
Yes it does make sence... you have to shim the tables or cells.
Have a look at my site... My menu is after my content even if it's on the left side.
l234244
07-15-2004, 04:25 AM
Jocelyn, how exactly do you shim the tables or cells? Would changing to a single menu table situated on the right hand side work aswell, instead of top and side. Taking into account that the main content will be in a left hand table (spidered first) before the menu.
jocelyn
07-15-2004, 04:34 AM
________________________________
| empty cell | content.| empty cell.. |
|__________| ....is.....|___________|
| ....menu....|...here...|..other stuff.|
|__________|________|___________|

Ok above is the way you shim your content. The table is a 2 high and you merge the center cell. So Gbot will 1st see an empty cell, then the content and then the other empty cell, then the menu... You can set the 2 empty cells to 1pixel so it doesn't show.
l234244
07-15-2004, 05:20 AM
Great stuff Jocelyn, keep up the good work!