Description in Google

[koie]

Perhaps this issue is dealt with before. My apologies if it is. I have searched the forum but could not find anything related.

 

When my site was indexed by google I noticed that my product descriptions in google didn't make much sense.

 

Example:

..:: De Stoffenstunter ::..: Velours, Groen

StoffenStunter, Mijn Account Inhoud Winkelwagen Afrekenen. Startpagina ? De StoffenStunter

Winkel ? Velours ?, Mijn Account | Inhoud Winkelwagen | Afrekenen. ...

www.destoffenstunter.nl/store/ catalog/product_info.php/products_id/505 - 27k - In cache - Gelijkwaardige pagina's

 

It looks like google reads the first text it encounters en displays this.

(Sorry it is DUTCH....it reads TOP-->CATALOG-->STORE....etc.)

Not very descriptive.

I have tried to overcome this by using the query of the Dynamic MetaTag Contribution and an addition in the stylesheet.

 

My intention was to get the product description from the database and to put this 'hidden' on top of the page above the LOGO.

 

I did this by adding the following lines in header.php

 

<!-- begin dynamic meta tags query -->
<?php
$the_product_info_query = tep_db_query("select pd.language_id, p.products_id, pd.products_name, pd.products_description, p.products_model, p.products_quantity, p.products_image, pd.products_url, p.products_price, p.products_tax_class_id, p.products_date_added, p.products_date_available, p.manufacturers_id from " . TABLE_PRODUCTS . " p, " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_DESCRIPTION . " pd where p.products_id = '" . (int)$HTTP_GET_VARS['products_id'] . "' and pd.products_id = '" . (int)$HTTP_GET_VARS['products_id'] . "'" . " and pd.language_id ='" .  (int)$languages_id . "'"); 
   $the_product_info = tep_db_fetch_array($the_product_info_query);
$the_product_name = strip_tags ($the_product_info['products_name'], "");
$the_product_description = strip_tags ($the_product_info['products_description'], "");
$the_product_model = strip_tags ($the_product_info['products_model'], "");
?>
<?php
$the_manufacturer_query = tep_db_query("select m.manufacturers_id, m.manufacturers_name from " . TABLE_MANUFACTURERS . " m left join " . TABLE_MANUFACTURERS_INFO . " mi on (m.manufacturers_id = mi.manufacturers_id and mi.languages_id = '" . (int)$languages_id . "'), " . TABLE_PRODUCTS . " p  where p.products_id = '" . (int)$HTTP_GET_VARS['products_id'] . "' and p.manufacturers_id = m.manufacturers_id"); 
   $the_manufacturers = tep_db_fetch_array($the_manufacturer_query);
?>
<!-- end dynamic meta tags query -->

 

and adding this line just before the logo (in header.php).

 

  <tr class="hiddenHeader">
    <td class="hiddenHeader"><?php echo $the_product_description; ?></td>
 </tr>

 

To make it hidden I added the following lines to the stylesheet.css

TD.hiddenHeader {visibility: hidden; font-size:0px; background: #FF4B0C; /*#bbc3d3;*/
}

TR.hiddenHeader {visibility: hidden; font-size:0px; background: #FF4B0C; /*#bbc3d3;*/
}

 

 

NOTE: I am sure that this can be done much better and cleaner but I am not a php guy. I can just barely understand it and figure out by trial and error where to put things.

But I found this to be usefull to get better descriptions in Google and I think others could benefit from this.

If you have a better, nicer, cleaner solution to this, please feel free to correct me.

 

Also what I am wondering about if this could have any side effects. For example: Could this cause a decrease in pagerank because I am using hidden text?

 

Anyway...

To test my code I used the Poodle Predictor to test a product. (use the url of a product as it only shows the product description)

 

Please let me know if this is usefull or not

 

Remko

[Guest]

Adding the desired description to your store logo's alt tag will provide the same results, assuming it is located at the top of the page as it is by default. :)

[koie]

Google writes on One of their pages

However, certain actions such as cloaking, writing text that can be seen by search engines but not by users, or setting up pages/links with the sole purpose of fooling search engines may result in permanent removal from our index.

 

So I decided to follow up your advice.

 

I changed my line for the logo to:

<td valign="middle"><?php echo '<a href="' . tep_href_link(FILENAME_DEFAULT) . '">' . tep_image(DIR_WS_IMAGES . 'shopMain.jpg', $the_product_description ) . '</a>'; ?></td>

 

The result in the SE description will be the same. Thanx for pointing this out!

[bluecivic21]

what about non product pages? do you add the description manully?

[Guest]

why not add the header tags controller to your store?

[koie]

I haven't figured out the non-product pages. :(

But I thought the product pages would be the most important.

 

What about the contribution mentioned. What does it do exactly? I looks like it makes META keywords which are of less importance to search engines nowadays but perhaps I am wrong. What I understood from information found on google is that it looks at text displayed on the pages just as a user does.

So no hidden text. That why I decided to follow up Draven's advice to put the text in the Top Logo. (ALT TEXT)

 

Any advice to get better descriptions or to help me understand this matter better would be grately appreciated.

 

Remko

[FM]

Is there a way to allow the alt text to be only certain amount of characters long? I noticed that if most of the product descriptions are very long the alt window will bee too big.

[oldworldcharms]

I got a problem with my site and the google description shown on the Poodle selector. I have the Meta tag contribution but it is still picking up my header information

http://www.gritechnologies.com/tools/spide...roducts_id%2F95

 

Any help would be appreciated.

thanks

 

Is there a way to allow the alt text to be only certain amount of characters long? I noticed that if most of the product descriptions are very long the alt window will bee too big.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Guest]

ANy progress onthis? is there a mod for it?

 

We have the same prob.. titles are item specific, but the description on google is >HOME> CAT> SUB CAT> etc

[Richard Bailey]

I was thinking about trying 2 use Amanda's inverted breadcrumb in a very simular way....

 

http://www.oscommerce.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=133304&hl=

 

 

but nope - havnt got it working yet..... :(

 

Rich

[prluv516]

dup

[prluv516]

my site as well is like this http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=drag+drif...ab-web-t&meta=0

 

the whole thing about it was it had cached differntly in google with out the meta tag mod 3.0. It was actually reading off my index page. after install..once again it is back to following the category box. is there away to stop it?????? my google rankings have fallen through the floor.:P

[Richard Bailey]

:(