Dreamweaver and Google SEO

I have 200 pages in my website. Each page links back to my homepage. In Dreamweaver there are 3 ways you can link back. When you use their default file finder the homepage links back as "/index.htm" but you can also manually imput "/" or "http://www.mywebsite.com"

In terms of Google optimization which of these 3 options would be the preferred reference or does it not make any difference whatsoever?

Thank You!

Either of the later 2.

google for absolute or relative link info....

...sigh....and using Dreamweaver to build sites is very un-professional, eh!



Jim

If "website" were one of my main keywords wouldn't the last one be best?

Any wysiwyg editor tends to create an html mess, but it's all some people can use unless they want to learn html and basic design.

But dreamweaver is much more than just a wysiwyg.
The code interface is great. Managing/searching/editing multiple sites is a breeze. The built in FTP, options for check in/out if working with other developers... It's a very powerful tool. Really depends on how you're using it I suppose.

For the record: I'm an 11 year designer and php developer, and I use dreamweaver (currently cs4 mc). It's my "weapon of choice". I didn't like that adobe bought up macromedia, but they haven't destroyed it as they had other products in the past, so I'm still very happy with it.

The text of the url inside the href of the link is not going to play any factor in optimization. Rather, the text of the link (or alt text of the image used for the link) will be considered.

The advantage of linking with http://www.domain.com is that it will correct url format of next click if user came to http://domain.com, but this is something that should have been already addressed in htaccess

I appreciate the responses that address my question, which yours did. The url format has been addressed in htaccess. I was just thinking that if spiders are reading the code and all they see is "/" instead of "website" (my keyword as in the example above) I wouldn't be receiving the link juice for my keyword.

Don't link to the index file. Link to the root directory instead.

Edit for clarification:
link to www.mydomain.com/

Not
Mydomain.com/index.html

Or anything relative. Make an absolute URL to the root directory.

Use the natural link always. I wouldnt even take the chance of just using the /.

my point is, that a well educated, skilled web dev does NOT use Dreamweaver nor for that matter ANY WYSIWYG app....

we code by hand. we often popopen Simpletext or Notebook, bang off a quick change, test it on our desktop server and then FTP it into the client site....

do NOT want to start the ubiquitous flame war on apps...I'm just saying that IMHO - note that pls!! -- any web dev worth his/her salt doesn't use a prop...but codes directly. it's the only way to KNOW HTML/CSS/ASP/php/PERL/.NET etc etc etc....

ymmv. in fact I'm so so so glad that ymmv. keeps me up at the TOP of the web dev heap....



Jim

PS did you ever really LOOK at the code that DW writes? or say save a Word .doc as an .htm for a change and LOOK at the garbage therein...sigh.....you (and your clients!) do get what they pay for, eh!

I won't play in any flame wars either...
but you decided to take a shot in there so I'll reply

The point was that any wysiwyg editor will create a mess. Nobody should use a wysiwyg. Lumping dreamweaver in with them only shows that you know nothing of the application. Yes, it has a wysiwyg editor that people can use, but it is a hell of a lot more than that. Any 'developer' that spent more than 30 seconds with it would know this (provided they weren't too distracted by their plain text editor I guess).

Perhaps I'm just not 'skilled' enough to look at the surface or one aspect of something, knock it, then preach how l33t I am.

Your skilled remark wasn't exactly subtle there, JV.

You missed Skinny Vinny's point.



The Code interface is great and can increase productivity for those coding by hand. Syntax color highlighting, the ability to browse to folders for the "src" attributes, just for some primitive examples. There are a lot of conveniences that help you code better. Being able to write the same code in Notepad doesn't make you a better developer than someone who codes in Dreamweaver. At the end of the day, code quality will always be more important to clients than how lame your text editor is ;)

This is what forums are for, I love a spirited debate with no name calling or other silliness. I have no dog in this race as there are 8 of us in my office and I am in last place when it comes to writing code, HOWEVER, I agree with JV cause us oldtimers stick together! That's right man!

Keep up the good work y'all, whatever you can do to feel good about your work and feed your family is all good with me.


Yes, I know I contributed nothing to this thread, it's almost friday so woohoo!

Sorry to say but I agree with Jim. I'm only 24 and I use notepad++ for all my coding no matter what the size so its not just you old timers that know your stuff :p

I used DW when I did my first website (just a random thing tbh) about 5 years ago and I think its a big pile of .... I will NEVER go back to coding in a wysiwyg editor, they just add to much rubbish to your code and a lot of sites don't even work fully in DW (they load all over the place and not in the right layout).

If you know your coding then why would you need to use a wysiwyg editor anyway? Not saying you don't know your stuff just asking a genuine question

Notepad++ is baby, and well lets just wysiwyg editors in to the ground.

Now back on topic lol. I tand to use http://www.mydomain.com but as long as you have sorted your redirects fully you shouldnt have any problems using and of the different whys to link to your home page IMO

I use Notepad++ also since I can't afford DW at the moment. But at the place I used to work they had Dreamweaver. You're neglecting the fact that a large majority of web developers who use dreamweaver don't use it for the WYSIWYG at all. They use it for the other features already discussed. The WYSIWYG makes up 1% of Dreamweaver's capability.