Advantages for Using FrontPage...
maybe this
HTML editor has some hidden advantages
by: Robin Nobles
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 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 SmartCertify Direct (http://www.smartcertify.com),
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.
(To
view an example screen shot showing the above, click
here: http://www.academywebspecialists.com/newsletters/fp2.gif)
Dave
added:
“To
disable the HTML changing of FrontPage 2000, a registry
entry is also needed. This registry file (http://www.academywebspecialists.com/newsletters/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_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared
Tools\Web
Server Extensions\All 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.
Dave
created a video on how to copy and paste, how to use
Cascading Style Sheets, and how to use shared borders
with Front Page:
http://www.smartcertify.com/seo/frontpage.asp
(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.
Again,
Dave created a video on how to create virtual directories
using Front Page:
http://www.smartcertify.com/seo/iis.asp
*
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.
Click
here for Dave’s video on how to create a database
using FrontPage:
http://www.smartcertify.com/seo/dwizard.asp
*
To Lee Davies of #1 Internet Marketing (http://www.1-internet-marketing.co.nz),
the main advantage to FrontPage is that you can so
easily manage all your html pages from the folders
section.
For
example, “If you were to rename an image, which
is something that needs to be done when optimizing,
it will rename the links to the images from every
page,” he explains.
*
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 (http://www.internetmarketingwebsites.com)
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 SEO’s 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. (http://www.rsmmcgladrey.com)
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
Take
a Free Course in using FrontPage!
Dave
Barry at SmartCertify Direct (http://www.smartcertify.com)
created a free course in using FrontPage. Simply register
at the following URL, and take the free course:
http://www.smartcertify.com/seo/register-seo.asp
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
Dave
Barry with SmartCertify created the videos, screen
shots, and free tutorial available in this article.
Plus, he gave me the work arounds for getting rid
of extraneous code, and he verified the accuracy of
the content. Thank you Dave – there’s no
way I could have created this article without your
help.
Copyright
2002 Robin Nobles and Dave Barry. All rights reserved.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robin
Nobles, Director of Training, Academy of Web Specialists,
(http://www.academywebspecialists.com)
has trained several thousand people in her online
search engine marketing courses (http://www.onlinewebtraining.com)
and is the content provider for (GRSeo) Search Engine
Optimizer software (http://www.se-optimizer.com).
She also teaches 4-day hands on search engine marketing
workshops in locations across the globe with Search
Engine Workshops (http://www.searchengineworkshops.com).
Dave
Barry is a professional Webmaster, Web designer, programmer,
and search engine optimizer, all rolled up into one
amazingly talented man who works for SmartCertify
Direct. (http://www.smartcertify.com) He has also
begun working with Search Engine Workshops to put
on “hands on” training workshops at locations
across the globe. (http://www.searchengineworkshops.com).
RobinN@acws.com
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