asp.net or php on linux, which is preferred by search engines?

[patrichek]

Hello, my company is interviewing a person to help us in our organic google listings. Our site is currently programmed using asp.net on windows server. The guy that is trying to earn our business claims the following:
By the way, this info is third hand so please forgive the writer as she doesn't understand that Linux=php and ASP.NET = windows.

> 1. Switch our website from an ASP server to a Linux server for several
>reasons:
> a. Data can be organized so that search engines can spider our site
>effectively. Right now that is not the case. For ex: any images we have
>on our site prohibit the search engines from finding the keywords around
>and after those images. With a Linux server, the search engines won't
>even know the images are there. By the way, images don't help us at all
>with optimization.
> b. The search engines prefer Linux to ASP because they can read them
>better and give extra 'points' towards optimization for those websites who
>utilize Linux.
> c. The style sheets can be separated and allow for spiders to flow
>through our entire site easily.
> d. ASP does not work well with the Mozilla Firefox browser, a
>fairly popular one, and it causes verbage and images to be off kilter and
>look sloppy. That won't happen with Linux.
> 2. They have stated that the Coding of our site is very poor and outdated,
>tags used to code the site by search engines are no longer supported in
>the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), which makes our web pages invalid to
>today's standards. In fact they found 233 standard errors on the home
>page alone, all of which hurt us in organic optimization

can anyone confirm this?

thanks guys

 

[Wullie]

> a. Data can be organized so that search engines can spider our site
>effectively. Right now that is not the case. For ex: any images we have
>on our site prohibit the search engines from finding the keywords around
>and after those images. With a Linux server, the search engines won't
>even know the images are there.

Lies

> b. The search engines prefer Linux to ASP because they can read them
>better and give extra 'points' towards optimization for those websites who
>utilize Linux.

Lies

> c. The style sheets can be separated and allow for spiders to flow
>through our entire site easily.

Using external CSS is good practice.

> d. ASP does not work well with the Mozilla Firefox browser, a
>fairly popular one, and it causes verbage and images to be off kilter and
>look sloppy. That won't happen with Linux.

Lies

> 2. They have stated that the Coding of our site is very poor and outdated,
>tags used to code the site by search engines are no longer supported in
>the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), which makes our web pages invalid to
>today's standards. In fact they found 233 standard errors on the home
>page alone, all of which hurt us in organic optimization

Very possibly.

Based on what they have said, I would seriously advise you that you do not hire this person, they either do not know what they are doing or they are trying to scam you.

Hope this helps

Wullie

YetiHost - Quality Coldfusion 7/Windows Hosting

The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails. - John Maxwell

 

[patrichek]

thank you, this will help me when i go to my boss.

 

[trollacious]

I agree with everything Wullie said. When I hear or read those claims about optimizing for search engines I roll my eyes and wonder if someone is out to pull some kind of a scam, or just has no idea what they're talking about.

Lee

 

[johnwm]

I also agree. You may want to show us the site for some outline comments on the 233 errors etc.

________________________________________________________________
If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first.
'If we're supposed to work in Hex, why have we only got A fingers?'
Drive a Steam Roller

 

[ChrisHirst]

Yep. All lies, including the bit about spiders and CSS though as Wullie says using external CSS is good practice and having code that validates, while again is good practice will NOT affect SEs in any way shape or form.
Even code that doesn't render in a browser properly doesn't stop the SE crawler and indexer.

Under no circumstance should you hire these people!



Chris.

Indifference will be the downfall of mankind, but who cares?
Woo Hoo! the cobblers kids get new shoes.
People Counting Systems

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

 

[patrichek]

HI again,
as far as recoding our entire site. Would it be easier to start from scratch or rewrite what we already have?

In the event we decide to make the change to Linux, can one easily take our asp coding and convert then rewrite using .php or does it make sense to stick with asp.net and rewrite?

thanks again!

 

[ecobb]

as far as recoding our entire site. Would it be easier to start from scratch or rewrite what we already have?

Now, how in the world are we supposed to know that? You haven't even told us what your site is or what it does. Is it a 2 page informational site about your company, or is it a 200 page application that runs your whole company? Would it be easier to fix my car or just go buy another one?

In the event we decide to make the change to Linux, can one easily take our asp coding and convert then rewrite using .php or does it make sense to stick with asp.net and rewrite?

That depends on who's doing the work. Is it a good programer or is it this con-artist that your company's been talking to? And, there again, it also depends on what your site does and large or complex it may be.


Hope This Helps!

ECAR
ECAR Technologies

http://www.ecartech.com

"My work is a game, a very serious game." - M.C. Escher

 

[feherke]

Hi

Depends on the skills of the previous maintainers. Also depends on possible database dependecy of the scripts. As I hate to beautify other peoples craps, probably would prefer to restart from zero.

Feherke.

http://rootshell.be/~feherke/

 

[patrichek]

thanks again. here's our url

http://www.laserspineinstitute.com

 

[Wullie]

You do have quite a bit of redundant coding, but nothing too bad that a redesign could not fix.

Take the following for example:

<p class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3></p>
<h3><font face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>
<h3><font face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3></font></h3></font></h3></font><span style="FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"></h5></span>

Now, you could use the following and do the exact same as the above code:

<br ><br />

Hope this helps

Wullie

YetiHost - Quality Coldfusion 7/Windows Hosting

The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails. - John Maxwell