A dynamic website is database driven website in which parts of the content are generated by Server Side Programs/ Middle Tier. Dynamic webpage doesn’t physically exist as a file/document on (hosting) server, unless the request comes for a webpage. The request contains parameters, user identities, date & time, context etc.



The successful search engine optimization (SEO) of a dynamic web site requires complex search engine technology and methods that are substantially different and much more sophisticated than the SEO techniques used for ordinary, more conventional static web sites. In this article, I will explain how to successfully optimize these dynamic web sites and some of the techniques that we know will achieve good results.

Search engines have a hard time with dynamic URLs. Dynamic URLs may cause search engines to mistake a small site for a very large one because an unlimited number of URLs can be used to provide essentially the same content. This can cause search engine spiders to avoid such sites for fear of falling into "dynamic spider traps," crawling through thousands of URLs when only a few are needed to represent the available content.

Tips to Optimize Dynamic Websites

•Now you know what hurts search engine bots/crawlers to index your website? What you need to know is that how you can keep your valuable website indexed by search engines, the more your web pages are indexed the better your website will impress search engines

•Create an HTML sitemap with 100 text links or less. If you have more than 100 links, break the sitemap into more than one web pages

•Google Sitemap will also be an advantage, specially if your website is big and dynamic Get inbound links deep into your website from other relevant websites such as directories, classified directories, vertical industrial portals

•Convert dynamic web pages into static web pages with the help of URL re-writing techniques

•You can use some plug-in applications that will change your existing dynamic URLs into static ones, specially for shopping carts there are plenty of applications available

•Avoid using session IDs in the URL, specially when user has not logged in

•If you do need to include parameters, limit it to two and limit the number of characters per parameter to ten or less

•If you do have small dynamic website and enough time you can apply this technique. Just right click on page by page of you website, copy the source code and create new static page with .htm or .html extensions.

What are the options that you have in order to make a search engine spider index your Dynamic URLs?

•Use of softwares: Exception Digital Enterprise Solutions (http://www.xde.net ) offers a software which can change the dynamic URLs to static ones. Named XQASP, it will remove the "?" in the Query String and replace it with "/", thereby allowing the search engine spiders to index the dynamic content.

•Use of CGI/Perl scripts: One of the easiest ways to get your dynamic sites indexed by search engines isusing CGI/Perl scripts. Path_Info or Script_Name is a variable in a dynamic application that contains the complete URL address (including the query string information).

•Apache Server: Apache has a rewrite module (mod_rewrite) that enables you to turn URLs containing query strings into URLs that search engines can index.

•ColdFusion: You'll need to reconfigure ColdFusion on your server so that the "?" in a query string isreplaced with a '/' and pass the value to the URL.