In the Name Title: What Will Stop The Search Engines?

[YourRainyDayBookStore]

In another recent post a mentioned was made that using a dash ~ plus other "things" in the Name Title can stop search engines. Would that be all forms of a dash? Something was also mentioned about using & which will change its appearance or . . .

Before I list too many items I would like to ask if there other non-word markings that are best not to use in the Name Title.

joyce

[poopsheet]

Good question!

[zickit]

I don't know about ~ but I do know that a / is a killer!

[aspencounty]

There are words and characters that are consider "stop" words and charcaters. I think the word "stop" may be a bit confusing. In normal circumstanses they don't actually stop anything.

Lets consider this first:

Stop characters

Certain characters, such as ampersand (&), equals sign (=), and question mark (?), when in a web page's URL, tip off a search engine that the page in question is dynamic. Search engines are cautious of indexing dynamic pages for fear of spider traps, thus pages that contain stop characters in their URL run the risk of not getting indexed and becoming part of the "Invisible Web." Google won't crawl more than one dynamic level deep. So dynamic pages with stop characters in its URL should get indexed if a static page links to it. Eliminating stop characters from all URLs on your site will go a long way in ensuring that your entire site gets indexed by Google.


It's kind of hard to explain but certain characters in HTML and PHP often show in a browser if funny ways. For instance the (&) character may display as this ('s) .If your using this character in coding it's necessary to write it like this (&) to correctly display the and (&) charcater. In addition, search engines may skip these characters and cause a title or discription to take on a completely different meaning in some cases. While using these character wont "stop" a search engine it's recommeded they be avoided when possible.

I'll try to give an example. Let's say you sell gold and silver jewlery. If you write it Gold & Silver or Gold/Silver, to Google is would appear as Gold'sSilver or GoldSilver. If you spelling it out Gold and Silver then Google will read and understand GOLD and SILVER.

Some people will use characters like ~ in the titles and discriptions. This is just wasting a character or at worst causing confusion:


Example:

~New~ Gold/Siler Woman's Necklace~Herringbone! While we can look at this and understand it, to Google it will read :newgoldsilver woman'snecklaceherringbone. By avoiding the character it will make more sense.We could write it like this: New Woman's Herringbone Design Gold and Siver Necklace.

While it's necseeasy to use proper punctuation, use of other unnecessary characters should be limited or avoided.


Stop words

Certain words, such as "and", "the," "a", "an," "of," "on" and "with," are so common and meaningless that a search engine won't bother including them in their index, or database, of web page content. So in effect, the stop words on your web pages are ignored as if those words weren't on your pages in the first place. Including a lot of stop words in your title tag waters down the title tag's keyword density.

This mainly refers to writting your meta title tag and key words. Most recommed using a limited number of charaters in these. If you use lots of "stop" words you are ,in affect, wasting space.

Example :

Aspencounty: Offering gold and silver jewelery with many designs to choose from with the best selection on the web.

As you see here I used 6 "stop" word and 19 characters.

It's ok and may be btter to break this up a bit:

Example:

Aspencounty: Offering gold, silver jewelery. Many designs. Best selection. Best prices anywhere.

In this example I avoided the use of "stop" words and saved 19 characters while still saying the same thing.

The same applies to your keywords. Most recommend they be separated with a comma (,).

New and used, gold and silver jewelery, men's and woman's.

New, used, gold, silver, jewelery, men's, woman's

While this is the traditional way of thinking there are even some that suggest not even separating them with a comma (,) but just by spacing them. The theory is by not using commas, the search engines can arrange them in several different combinations and phrases. Personally I haven't leaned toward this idea yet.

Hope I didn't make this more confusing that it already is

[YourRainyDayBookStore]

[HandcraftedDollsbyLu]

Thank you so much for this information aspen, I was wondering about this as I use dashes a lot, as in one-of-a-kind. So, it seems best to omit the dashes, but will the engines only see, one of kind? Will this make sense? It's still a little confusing to me! So, if I say, doll with matching quilt, the with is ignored? So much to learn, so little time!! Thank you again!

Lu

[aspencounty]

[poopsheet]

[HandcraftedDollsbyLu]

Thank you aspen and poopsheet, you are both always so nice and very helpful and informative. I sure do appreciate it as I can use all of the help I can get. I'm going to change my titles, most of them do have dashes and &, to say Ann & Andy, and many /, which I have been using to say w/ quilt so as to fit more into the title. I know now this is a bad idea! I was starting to get discouraged with only one sale so far, my dolls always sold very well at the craft shows I went to, but I'm beginning to see that selling online is very much different. I'm hoping that fixing the titles will help. I'm trying to do all I can to promote. Have a great day.
Lu

[BargainBarn]

Stop Words
Most Search Engines do not consider extremely common words in order to save disk space or to speed up search results. These filtered words are known as 'Stop Words'.

Below is a comprehensive list of words Ignored by Search Engines.
Copy and paste them to a word document and print them out for reference.

a
able
about
above
abroad
according
accordingly
across
actually
adj
after
afterwards
again
against
ago
ahead
ain't
all
allow
allows
almost
alone
along
alongside
already
also
although
always
am
amid
amidst
among
amongst
an
and
another
any
anybody
anyhow
anyone
anything
anyway
anyways
anywhere
apart
appear
appreciate
appropriate
are
aren't
around
as
a's
aside
ask
asking
associated
at
available
away
awfully
b
back
backward
backwards
be
became
because
become
becomes
becoming
been
before
beforehand
begin
behind
being
believe
below
beside
besides
best
better
between
beyond
both
brief
but
by
c
came
can
cannot
cant
can't
caption
cause
causes
certain
certainly
changes
clearly
c'mon
co
co.
com
come
comes
concerning
consequently
consider
considering
contain
containing
contains
corresponding
could
couldn't
course
c's
currently
d
dare
daren't
definitely
described
despite
did
didn't
different
directly
do
does
doesn't
doing
done
don't
down
downwards
during
e
each
edu
eg
eight
eighty
either
else
elsewhere
end
ending
enough
entirely
especially
et
etc
even
ever
evermore
every
everybody
everyone
everything
everywhere
ex
exactly
example
except
f
fairly
far
farther
few
fewer
fifth
first
five
followed
following
follows
for
forever
former
formerly
forth
forward
found
four
from
further
furthermore
g
get
gets
getting
given
gives
go
goes
going
gone
got
gotten
greetings
h
had
hadn't
half
happens
hardly
has
hasn't
have
haven't
having
he
he'd
he'll
hello
help
hence
her
here
hereafter
hereby
herein
here's
hereupon
hers
herself
he's
hi
him
himself
his
hither
hopefully
how
howbeit
however
hundred
i
i'd
ie
if
ignored
i'll
i'm
immediate
in
inasmuch
inc
inc.
indeed
indicate
indicated
indicates
inner
inside
insofar
instead
into
inward
is
isn't
it
it'd
it'll
its
it's
itself
i've
j
just
k
keep
keeps
kept
know
known
knows
l
last
lately
later
latter
latterly
least
less
lest
let
let's
like
liked
likely
likewise
little
look
looking
looks
low
lower
ltd
m
made
mainly
make
makes
many
may
maybe
mayn't
me
mean
meantime
meanwhile
merely
might
mightn't
mine
minus
miss
more
moreover
most
mostly
mr
mrs
much
must
mustn't
my
myself
n
name
namely
nd
near
nearly
necessary
need
needn't
needs
neither
never
neverf
neverless
nevertheless
new
next
nine
ninety
no
nobody
non
none
nonetheless
noone
no-one
nor
normally
not
nothing
notwithstanding
novel
now
nowhere
o
obviously
of
off
often
oh
ok
okay
old
on
once
one
ones
one's
only
onto
opposite
or
other
others
otherwise
ought
oughtn't
our
ours
ourselves
out
outside
over
overall
own
p
particular
particularly
past
per
perhaps
placed
please
plus
possible
presumably
probably
provided
provides
q
que
quite
qv
r
rather
rd
re
really
reasonably
recent
recently
regarding
regardless
regards
relatively
respectively
right
round
s
said
same
saw
say
saying
says
second
secondly
see
seeing
seem
seemed
seeming
seems
seen
self
selves
sensible
sent
serious
seriously
seven
several
shall
shan't
she
she'd
she'll
she's
should
shouldn't
since
six
so
some
somebody
someday
somehow
someone
something
sometime
sometimes
somewhat
somewhere
soon
sorry
specified
specify
specifying
still
sub
such
sup
sure
t
take
taken
taking
tell
tends
th
than
thank
thanks
thanx
that
that'll
thats
that's
that've
the
their
theirs
them
themselves
then
thence
there
thereafter
thereby
there'd
therefore
therein
there'll
there're
theres
there's
thereupon
there've
these
they
they'd
they'll
they're
they've
thing
things
think
third
thirty
this
thorough
thoroughly
those
though
three
through
throughout
thru
thus
till
to
together
too
took
toward
towards
tried
tries
truly
try
trying
t's
twice
two
u
un
under
underneath
undoing
unfortunately
unless
unlike
unlikely
until
unto
up
upon
upwards
us
use
used
useful
uses
using
usually
v
value
various
versus
very
via
viz
vs
w
want
wants
was
wasn't
way
we
we'd
welcome
well
we'll
went
were
we're
weren't
we've
what
whatever
what'll
what's
what've
when
whence
whenever
where
whereafter
whereas
whereby
wherein
where's
whereupon
wherever
whether
which
whichever
while
whilst
whither
who
who'd
whoever
whole
who'll
whom
whomever
who's
whose
why
will
willing
wish
with
within
without
wonder
won't
would
wouldn't
x
y
yes
yet
you
you'd
you'll
your
you're
yours
yourself
yourselves
you've
z
zero

[poopsheet]

The terminology is confusing. I don't think the words in the above list are "stop words" in the sense that they will cause the spiders to go no further. The list above is of words the search engines will technically ignore. But I do believe that if you search many of them in combination with another word or words you'll still be able to find them.

[BargainBarn]

These "Stop Words" are only for reference. I would advise that you don't use them in your item title line. It is almost impossible not to use them somewhere in your description. Maybe this is less confusing than the previous.

[cuteasabug]

Cute as a Bug already has two no no's!

Mary
www.cuteasabug.biz
www.cuteasabug.ecrater.com