Java script in navigation bar for SEO

[amar]

Can we use java script in top navigation bar. I studied as per SEO standards we should not use java script. need urgent feedback

[amar]

we designed a website using java script in the top navigation bar. Now we are worrying from the SEO point of view. Can anyone suggest me any code or some alternative ideas for how to get crawled by google using java script in the top navigation bar...

[coder]

It's a simple solution, create a site map. Your site should have one anyways.

[amar]

Thanks for your suggestion. Can we submit sitemap link to search engine and directories...

[greeneagle]

1) javascript is OK...as long as you:

a) stash it in a separated file and call it up properly
b) provide a secondary main page textural or textural/css matching secondary navigation scheme.

IMO-Both html and "google" xml site maps help.

Don't forget the custom 404 error code page for the "catch-alls"!

Ken

[amar]

Thanks ken for your suggestions..

[KeithO]

Having a site map is imperitive. I just signed a client for SEO services who's entire navigation is in a javascript file. They only have their home page indexed by the SE's and have been online for over 4 years.

[amar]

Hi Keith,

I got a new idea of submitting sitemap link tos earch engines and directories...Will it work out...

[KeithO]

don't waste your time submitting to the search engines. Just get inbound links with appropriate text in them. If you have a link to the site map on every page, they will find it that way and will be more effective, not to mention quicker.

[wrmineo]

Don't forget the custom 404 error code page for the "catch-alls"!

Ken

Ken ... I have a customer error doc for 404's and Google would not accept my sitemap.xml with it in place - any thoughts, ideas?

I did remove it long enough to get the sitemap through and plan to put it back in place this week.

[greeneagle]

W.R.,

I haven't heard of that being an issue. Did you have it listed or omitted on your XML Sitemap?

What indication did you have that was an issue?

Ken

[wrmineo]

Ken - thanks for the reply.

When I submitted the sitemap to google, it has your create that "dummy" file for it to query your site. It appears that is its entire purpose, to check for custom 404 pages. When I uploaded the (google dummy)file and had Google check for it for verity, it came back and gave me a message that the custom 404 page would "have to go". Sorry, I forget the verbatim message at this point ... my photographic memory is running low on film as I age :)

Yes, the custom error page was part of the xml map which is a great question, but I don't think that was the issue from the schematic of how things went down - Google would not read the file until the verification check of their dummy file.

[Candlelight]

I also made a sitemap.xml file for Google but found when I logged into my sitemap on Google’s web site I found that I could not verify the .xml file because I had set on my server to redirect back to the main page on all 404 errors. The only trouble you have is Google does not like being redirected. You can fix this by making a mirror page of your main index.htm page and upload it in place of your old 404-error page. Hence a custom 404 page. And set your server to show this page instead of redirecting back to the index page.

Hope this info helps

[greeneagle]

A lot of webmasters seem to be having problems with similar issues here.

W.R. - Did you get it resolved yet?

Ken

[amar]

Hi ken,

Thanks for your feedback. Now we are submitting individual pages to directories and search engines and we created a site map. Any other suggestions are welcome...

Regards,
Amar