Do IFrames Help or Hinder in the Search Results

[morestar]

So basically a client of mine has an auto trader type of site for the RV (Recreational Vehicle) industry. He lists RVs and RV dealers across Canada.

We're trying to optimize the his client sites for search results and user-friendliness in the eyes of the big G.

Currently, the dealer sites list their RV inventory on their site but through an IFrame with the source being my clients main site.

I'm under the impression that instead of using an IFrame to reference each RV in the database, we should simply add the code that fetches the RV data into the dealers site.

My question? well, I already believe I know the answer but from a search perspective are IFrames a no no?

Fellow SEMs, please advise...

[Niche]

A couple of years ago, it was thought that content in i frames does not count towards your sites SEO. So if you had keywords in the I frame they did not count i.e did not help on page SEO.

But that was two years ago. I don't know if things have changed since

[morestar]

Well that's the same I heard/read over the years but to date im not too sure...

[JasonJersey]

From what I understand about iFrames, I am quit confident they will only harm your site.

[Dubbya]

According to Google's Matt Cutts (In a Webmaster Central Blog posting dated Dec 1, 0, they've changed the algorithm to prevent duplicate content penalties in pages using IFRAMES.

Using IFRAMES, even when they contain content from other sites, will no longer harm your rankings and, on the flip side, external content won't help your rankings either.

Here's some more info from SEO Roundtable:
Google Fixes Spam Algorithm Classifier For IFrames

That being the case, there might several issues to consider before implementing IFRAMES.

• Are you hoping the iframe content will help with your SEO efforts or are you simply using it to improve user experience?
• If you place links to the local page content being displayed in the IFRAME, what happens when the page shows up in the SERPS and a user clicks the link? Will the page load itself into the parent page or will the page be orphaned and out of context with no way to find the originating website?
• Would using CSS to display the content serve the same purpose?
• Does it matter to you if the IFRAME content doesn't pass any SEO benefits to your site?

This page might help you better evaluate your options:
SEO & iFrames: A Glimpse at What Search Engines See : StraightUpSearch

While they certainly have their uses, before suggesting IFRAMES, I'd recommend using CSS and/or include files.

.02

[MayaLocke]

iFrames typically make it much more difficult to spider a website. Google may have found a way around it, but the smaller engines certainly have not. There is really no need to use iFrames, there are much better options.

[morestar]

Well thank you everyone. As I said, I pretty much know this but wanted a little confirmation from the experts so I can show my client some of your responses...

[ChiefLee]

Simpler coded pages will index more easily. I've always heard that i-frames are a no no. And at least at one point i-frames created problems in some browsers.

[morestar]

ya, i mean, the current sites of the client list use an iframe that gathers data from the main site and they are all indexed by google but i guess we can just say that in the end it's better not to use iframes. although im sure google has figured it out as even a simple php script would be able to follow an iframes source.