May 7th, 2010 by Susie

One of the important reasons why most online firms should invest in high quality SEO services is that the sphere of search engine optimisation is a really complicated one. It is not only difficult in competitive sectors to make progress up the search engine results pages, but it is also the case that the processes connected with SEO contain numerous pitfalls for the unwary enthusiast to stumble into. Some of the mistakes which can have a negative influence on the performance of a site are discussed extensively and the reasons why the search engines penalise them are clearly evident. However, other potential errors receive less online attention and it is harder for amateurs to perceive why the major search engines disapprove of them so much.

An example of the type of search engine optimization error which is extensively discussed is keyword stuffing. It is obvious why the major search engines disapprove of it because users suffer from poorly written content when it is in operation. Less debated and seemingly harder to understand is the issue of doorway pages. A doorway page does not appear to be an offensive feature of a site so it is hard to tell why it could incur a negative response from Google, for instance. A doorway page is simply positioned in front of a page on a site. It is a bit like a welcome area and is sometimes used by firms to impress potential clients.

The problem arises in part from the fact that doorway pages have been utilised by unethical SEO firms. A black hat SEO company can use a doorway page, in the knowledge that it will probably receive considerable attention from web crawlers, to optimise it excessively. A doorway page can be a tricky method by which a user is sent on to a site in which they have not got an objective interest in visiting. Alternatively, in addition to this hijacking phenomenon, a doorway page can have keywords added to attract more links. Either way, the dubious way in which some black hat operators have tried to manipulate things by the exploitation of doorway pages has aroused the suspicions of the major search engines.

Some sites have doorway pages which have not been misused to steal a march in the battle for high positions in the search engine results pages. A considerable effort may have been put in to get the design of a site correct and fit for purpose. Hence an online firm may not wish to relinquish its doorway pages in a hurry. It may be the case that such a site will not be given a search engine penalty because it is not seeking to obtain an unfair advantage. However, it may be prudent to dispense with the doorway pages in any event.

Search engine optimisation is not just about pleasing the search engines; it is also concerned with satisfying the wants and needs of users. Hence the usability of a site is a central consideration. Anything which does not add to usability, or which has the potential to detract from it, should arguably be jettisoned promptly.

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