SEO and menus

[vangogh]

Definitely looks more professional. It's also easier to remember and type since you don't have the earthlink part to deal with.

Bill is right about the 301 (permanent) redirects too. That will tell search engines that the page has moved and everything should be transferred to the new URLs. You'll want to hold onto the old domain for awhile even of you aren't using it.

[billbenson]

VG, is there a way to post code? I posted a one line htaccess and because it had a url, the forum software modified it. I didn't try the quote tag but I suspect the same thing would happen.

[Spider]

Thanks, Bill and VG. Can't use the 301 - at least, I don't think I can. I have other personal material at Earthlink that would be out-of-place at the new location - my house is a certified wildlife habitat and I have that on display, plus some other local data. That material will remain at Earthlink.

I have uploaded most of the coaching business pages to the new host and plan to change all the old coaching pages to "This page has moved" with an on-page link to the respective new page. I presume, because the old page will contain no business or coaching keywords, it will slowly sink down the charts while the new pages will slowly rise.

Good plan?

[vangogh]

You can redirect specific pages and not the whole site if you want. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. First map out the old URLs to the new URLs and then set up the redirection. Each redirect will basically look the same with the exception of the different URLs on each line.

[Spider]

Amazing stuff, this - eh?! Thanks yet again.

[vangogh]

Bill I would think you could post code. Try using the code tag and if that doesn't work just put a space between the http:// www and .domain.com. I think that will work.

As long as you add the occasional space vBulletin won't turn anything into a link.

[billbenson]

You know what, I didn't go to the advanced post where the code tag options is. Your right, it probably would have worked there.

[Spider]

I've been thinking about the menu headings discussion above and I have a question.

Your recommendation to use heading tags (h4, h3) were because Google (and others, probably) give greater weight to words so tagged. That is fine if the words in the headings are keywords. But it doesn't necessarily follow that the headings are keywords, right?

In my case, the menu headings follow my site slogan, "Building businesses, building lives, building wealth," dividing my pages in three departments, but these are not terms likely to be searched for and, therefore, not keywords. Highlighting them in H3 tags and thus making keywords of them, would dilute the real keywords of the page and thus be counter-productive, wouldn't they?

What do you think?

[cbscreative]

To my knowledge, keyword weight is applied mostly to h1 and h2, and the rest have very little weight. Many designers, myself included, use the rest to format text for different purposes. For example, h6 is often used for footer navigation or copyright notices.

[billbenson]

I don't really agree you you on this one cb steve. I think all h tags have value if used properly.

As you can see Frederick, there are differences of opinions, so yout need to evaluate the info and make you own decision. Here is my opinion:

Take your section in the menu "Building Businesses" Change it to "Coaching builds business" - just an example, I haven't thought this through thoroughly.

Don't use coaching in the links below that heading unless they really fit the link. Some form of building businesses is appropriate in every link but don't be redundant. Business consulataion could be a good link below that. I'd probably use an h3 as I would reserve h1 and h2 for the body section.

Your next section "building lives" Why not "improve your life through personal coaching"?

Somewhere on your site have "improving lives and business through personal coaching will ..." Google will figure out that there is an attachment between building lives and the word Coaching.

That's how I would approach it.