|
|
|
|
|
|
Advantages of Using
FrontPage
...maybe this HTML editor has some hidden
advantages
by Robin Nobles and Dave Barry
Ever since I've been doing SEO work, I've always
griped and complained about FrontPage and all the extraneous code it puts in the
<head> section of the page, etc.
Then recently, I had the
opportunity to visit with a group of advanced search engine optimizers, and I
was shocked to find that many of them use FrontPage and love
it.
FrontPage??!!
The first thing I learned is that there are
ways to keep out the extraneous code! With FrontPage, you can remove the code,
but it keeps comes back again and again and again. But, there's a way to get rid
of it forever.
How to
Get Rid of Extraneous Code and Headers
Dave Barry, Webmaster of
Site Search Architect , explains how:
FrontPage 97
or 98 users:
Click on Start, then Find, then Files or Folders.
Search your hard drive (generally your C drive) for a file named frontpg.ini.
Click on the file.
When it opens, look for a line that says, "Version
3.0."
Add this line under Version 3.0:
HTMLREFORMAT=0
The next time you use FrontPage, remove the
extraneous code and headers, and they won't come back.
FrontPage 2000, 2002, or XP users:
Look at the menu bar at the top of the Open Web.
Click on Tools, then Page Options.
You'll see an option box. Under HTML
Source, at the top of the page under General, you'll have this
choice:
When saving file(s):
Preserve existing HTML or
Reformat using the
rules below
If you choose Preserve existing HTML, and if you
delete any extraneous code and headers, you won't see the code or headers on
your pages again.
Dave added:
"To disable the HTML changing of FrontPage 2000, a
registry entry is also needed. This attachment (NoReformat.zip) will do
it automatically. Just open the file with Notepad to verify its authenticity
before using it.
"The attachment and registry entry must occur on the
server.
"Or, if you want to edit the registry manually, here is the
code:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftShared ToolsWeb Server
ExtensionsAll Ports]
"ReformatHtml"="0"
Add-In that Generates META Tags
FrontPage also has an Add-in that will delete META
tags without going into the source view. It's called META Tag Maker 2002, and it
will create and manage META tags through one dialogue box, without having to go
into source view.
http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/downloads/addin/
searchdetail.asp?aid=80
In fact, the FrontPage site has an amazing number of Add-ins
for FrontPage that are free for the taking. http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/downloads/addin/default.asp
Some of the more popular Add-ins
include:
Multimedia/Special FX, Windows Media Add-in, that will easily
embed audio and visual into your Web pages;
Clear Teal Template, that is
a 16-page easy-to-use Web template that lets you easily create a Web
site;
Scripting/Database Tools, J-Bots Plus 2002 Trial. According to the
FrontPage site, J-Bots components make FrontPage Web sites more customized by
adding JavaScript-enabled features, but you don't have to know how to write code
or cut and paste. Simply fill in dialog boxes, click Generate, and the
JavaScript is created for you.
Other Advantages for Using
FrontPage
- Server side includes are easy with FrontPage.
Before we go on, let me explain what "server side includes" are.
Server
side includes (SSI’s) generate parts of Web pages dynamically on the "server
side." They allow you to add customization features to your Web pages, such as
an e-mail form. Unlike other forms of dynamic content, or content that's created
on the fly, server side includes have a normal URL that's easy for users to
remember and doesn't create problems for the engines.
In other words,
SSI’s embed special commands into an HTML document that tells the server to
perform specific actions when a user requests the page. The server then creates
the Web page on the fly by merging files or inserting requested
information.
How might you use SSI’s on your Web page? Let's say you want
to add a form to your Web site for your users to complete to sign up for your
newsletter. You could create the form using SSI’s.
For more information
on creating SSI’s with FrontPage, visit: http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/using/default.htm and click on FrontPage Server Extensions.
- Dave Barry, who recently created two major
sections of the Dell Web site using FrontPage, manages 40 to 50 Web sites at
SmartCertify, and he easily moves back and forth between those sites using FP.
With that many sites, there is a lot of duplicity, and he can effortlessly share
objects with FP or edit multiple Web sites. With FrontPage, you can cut and
paste between the sites, use shared borders, and easily drag and drop files,
thus saving a lot of time versus handling each site separately.
If you've
ever wanted to experiment with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), FrontPage also
makes using them a breeze. You can even create DHTML using
FrontPage.
(Author Note: When viewing these videos, make sure you have
the latest version of Microsoft Windows Media Player. To download the latest
version (7.1), click here (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?
scid=kb;en-us;Q299321). Also, I found that I was unable to view the videos if my
firewall (Zone Alarm) was running.)
- Another benefit to using FrontPage is being able
to create virtual directories with ease. As you know, when you specify a home
directory, all of the subdirectories beneath than home directory automatically
become subdirectories of the Web site as well. However, you can also designate a
folder located elsewhere on the system as a subdirectory of the site by creating
a virtual directory out of it. A virtual directory is a directory or folder on a
server that is not in the actual server directory structure.
- If you want to create a database, it's no problem
with FrontPage. It will virtually create a database for you and import data
without any database knowledge at all. The program works with Access, SQL,
Oracle, and ODBC, and you can set up an SEC-compliant database within 30 seconds
and begin working with asp pages with no prior knowledge
whatsoever.
- What I kept hearing again and again as I
interviewed users of FrontPage is that FrontPage saves you time in creating Web
pages, because it's so easy to use. Don Hammond with DonOMite
(http://www.donomite.com) explains,
"Straight HTML pages are a breeze
with FP. I know a lot of programmers scoff at using it, but it means I can crank
out a basic HTML page in seconds rather than minutes. And when I get paid by the
job, it means more $/hr to me."
Dawn Rowlett with Web Submission
Services explains further:
"From the first day that I was introduced to
FrontPage, I was instantly able to catch on to some of the many features because
it was so easy to use. I think the most beneficial factor to the program for me
was that I was able to go in and design a page, knowing nothing at all about
HTML. I could include hyperlinks, tables, images, change colors, backgrounds,
insert text, create paragraphs, etc. with absolutely no background in coding. I
was able to do all of this on my first day with the program!
"I remember
one time in the beginning when I was involved in a discussion with a designer
who was using another HTML editor and was completely stuck on the coding of how
to create a simple table. My first thought at the time was, using Front Page,
that is such a simple task."
- Many professional SEOs also like to use FrontPage
because it's a program that's simple enough for their clients to use. So, when
the SEO turns the site back over to the client, the client can easily make
changes with FrontPage without having to know HTML. As Tom Altman with RSM
McGladrey, Inc explains,
"Most of the folks already have the office
suite, so they are used to using Word and the like. FrontPage is not that much
different, and it lets them maintain their own site."
Make FrontPage Work the way YOU Want
it to!
At the Microsoft FrontPage Server Extensions Resource
Kit, you'll find links to all of the possible ways to
make FrontPage work for you, instead of the default
values after installation.
http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/frontpage/
wpp/serk/apndx03.htm
In Conclusion
As you've seen, some very experienced Web designers
and search engine optimizers use FrontPage as their
"editor of choice." Its ease of use and variety
of ready-made templates make it a program that's easy
for beginners yet has the functionality that advanced
designers need.
It also allows the designer or SEO to get a page designed
quickly and easily, and time adds up to money for a
busy SEO.
As Nancy Nelson with Search by Design! (http://www.search-by-design.com)
said, "Is it a perfect tool? Certainly not, but
FrontPage combined with minor HTML knowledge can take
you a long way..."
So FrontPage users, don't be ashamed to admit that you
use FrontPage! Some of the best Web designers in the
industry use it, with good reason.
Special Thanks to Dave Barry
|
|
|
|