Optimizing SharePoint Server 2013 Websites for Internet Search Engines
Transcript of Optimizing SharePoint Server 2013 Websites for Internet Search Engines
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Optimizing SharePoint
Server 2013 websites forInternet search engines-
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Optimizing SharePoint Server 2013 websitesfor Internet search engines
This paper is written by Waldek Mastykarz, a Microsoft SharePointServer MVP and Technical SharePoint Specialist for Mavention.
)e a%% want our website to be found on the Internet" )e a%so ,now that web pagesthat are disp%a*ed high in search resu%ts are more %i,e%* to be c%ic,ed on" :ecause ofthis$ website owners are continuous%* tr*ing to improve their website so that
Internet search engines wi%% disp%a* them high in their search resu%ts"
This paper wi%% provide *ou with tips on how *ou can optimize *our SharePointServer 2013 website for Internet search engines"
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?"1 S7O Properties for pub%ishing pages 3
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?"2 anonica% &'( @
?"3 Site ownership verication A
?" </( sitemap B
?"? 'obots"t#t %e 10
?"C riend%* &'(s 11C S7O O' )7:SIT7S T64T &S7 'OSS-SIT7 P&:(IS6I.5"""""""""""""""""""12
C"1 &sing standard S7O co%umns within cata%ogs 12
C"2 &se s%ugs to create uniDue and meaningfu% &'(s 13
C"3 :ui%d hierarchica% tit%e for pages 1
C" S7O considerations when using categor* pages 1
C"? S7O considerations when using cata%og item pages 1
@ 6O) TO 64.9(7 O//O. S7O 64((7.57S"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""1C
@"1 4%%owing for in-page ana%*tics 1C
@"2 6ow to congure canonica% domain names 1A
@"3 Shou%d m* webpages use 6TTPS or 6TTP> 21
@" Shou%d m* webpages use a trai%ing s%ash nor not> 21
@"? /icrodata 23
@"C 6ow to inc%ude the content authorship information 2
@"@ 6ow to congure page redirects 2C
@"A ontent aggregation with ontent Search )eb Part 2C
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1 I.T'O9&TIO.
Search engine optimization ES7OF is a common name for a number of activities that focus on increasing the
ran,ing of a website in the search resu%ts" )ith regard to the app%ication area$ S7O can be divided into two
categories= techno%og*- and content-re%ated"
The techno%og*-re%ated side of S7O focuses on providing web managers with a foundation upon which the*
can bui%d great websites" It spans a wide range of topics$ from using a shared 6T/( mar,up vocabu%ar*$ to
optimizing the servers that host the website" 4n important part of this area is a%so the content
management s*stem E/SF" If the /S is congured correct%*$ it can he%p website owners optimize their
website for Internet search engines"
The second area of S7O is re%ated to content" )hen someone is %oo,ing for something on the Internet$
search engines want to ensure that the most re%evant resu%ts are disp%a*ed high in search resu%ts" :*
pub%ishing great content and optimizing it for specic ,e*words$ the ran,ing of the website in search
resu%ts can be improved" The content-re%ated part of S7O has nothing to do with techno%og* or /S$ and is
app%icab%e to an* website"
This artic%e focuses on the techno%og* part of the optimization process" ItG%% a%so e#p%ain how *ou can app%*
S7O to *our SharePoint Server 2013 website"
One important thing to note is that S7O is no secret sauce that *ou can pour over *our website to ma,e it
the number 1 search resu%t on an Internet search engine" Optimizing *our website is an ongoing eHort" It
starts as ear%* as p%anning$ ta,es p%ace during dep%o*ment$ and continues throughout production" If *ou
want to achieve great resu%ts$ *ou have to continuous%* monitor and optimize *our website"
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)eb content is pub%ished using 6T/(" 6T/( is a%so what Internet search engines use when craw%ing and
inde#ing web pages" 6T/( consists of a number of tags" &nfortunate%*$ the number of tags is %imited$
ma,ing it dicu%t to e#press the true meaning of web content" 4%though *ou can use semantic tags to
denote headings or paragraphs$ there is no wa* to distinct a press re%ease from a coo,ing recipe or a boo,
review" In a wa*$ itGs surprising given that the conte#t of the content is essentia% when tr*ing to nd
re%evant information on the Internet" 7ven though the Dua%it* of Internet search engines is continuous%*
improving$ eventua%%* the* can on%* guess what a particu%ar web page is about"
To he%p Internet search engines understand as much conte#t information about the content as possib%e$
microdata has been introduced" /icrodata is a shared data vocabu%ar* that uses e#isting 6T/( mar,up toprovide additiona% information about web content" )hen *ou are p%anning to bui%d a new website$ *ou
shou%d a%wa*s verif* if some of the e#isting microdata schemas cou%d be inc%uded in *our website to he%p
describe *our content"
/ore information about microdata is avai%ab%e at http://schema.org "
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7ar%* in the process of bui%ding a new website$ *ou shou%d create static 6T/( temp%ates and test if Internet
search engines can access and inde# a%% of the content" Since no /S is invo%ved ear%* in the process$ an*6T/( optimization can be app%ied re%ative%* eas*"
4fter *ou have tested *our static 6T/( temp%ates$ *ou can start to imp%ement them in SharePoint Server
2013 as /aster Pages$ Page (a*outs and 9isp%a* Temp%ates" +ou shou%d strive to get the na% 6T/( output
as c%ose to the static 6T/( temp%ates as possib%e" 4fter a%%$ *ou have tested and optimized the static 6T/(
temp%ates for Internet search engines$ and even s%ight mar,up a%terations can have big conseDuences for
the ran,ing of *our website in search resu%ts"
4nother important thing to remember when deve%oping *our 6T/( temp%ates is that no matter how
visua%%* attractive *our website is$ or how man* coo% features it contains$ if the content is not accessib%e to
Internet search engines$ *our website is %i,e%* to be ran,ed %ower than other websites" 4%though Internet
search engines support some JavaScript$ it is %imited" It is therefore essentia% that the most importantcontent and functiona%it* of *our website doesnGt depend on JavaScript"
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Over the %ast few *ears$ increasing amounts of mobi%e devices are being used to surf the web" )ith this
constant growth$ itGs on%* a matter of time unti% more mobi%e devices than des,top computers are used to
surf the Internet" )ith this deve%opment$ when *ouGre bui%ding a new website$ *ou have to p%an for the
mobi%e e#perience"
In most scenarios$ using responsive web design is the recommended wa* of de%ivering optimized user
e#perience for mobi%e devices" :* using responsive web design$ Internet search engines wi%% on%* need to
craw% and inde# *our website once" In addition$ search resu%ts coming from *our website wi%% be re%evant toa%% users$ independent of the device the* are using"
In some situations$ for e#amp%e when the navigation pattern for mobi%e devices diHers too much from the
navigation pattern used for des,top computers$ responsive web design is insucient" In these situations$
*ou have to use another approach" One a%ternative is to bui%d a separate website optimized for mobi%e
devices" rom a deve%operGs perspective$ this introduces additiona% eHort$ because *ou have to %et Internet
search engines ,now that the mobi%e version of *our website is a variation of *our content$ and not a
diHerent website" 7nsuring for proper inde#ing of a separate mobi%e website is not trivia% and something
*ou shou%d ta,e %ight%*$ as it ma* have serious conseDuences for the ran,ing of *our content in search
resu%ts"
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One of the man* web content management-re%ated improvements in SharePoint Server 2013 are S7O
features" This section gives an overview of the search engine optimization features provided with
SharePoint Server 2013" ItG%% a%so use e#amp%es to show how *ou can app%* these new capabi%ities"
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?"1 S7O
Properties for pub%ishing pages
On a%% pub%ishing pages$ *ou can specif* the fo%%owing=
a browser tit%e"
a meta description that can be disp%a*ed on a search resu%ts page"
,e*words that describe the conte#t of the page"
if Internet search engines shou%d e#c%ude the page from search resu%ts"
How you can use SEO Properties for publishing pages
Browser Title
The page tit%e has a big inKuence on the ran,ing of web pages in search resu%ts" rom the search engines
perspective$ each page has two tit%es" irst there is the tit%e dened b* using the title tag in the head
section of *our page" This tit%e is disp%a*ed in the browserGs tit%e bar$ and is used as a tit%e in search resu%ts"
Then there is the page tit%e that is dened b* using the h1 tag in the bod* part of *our page" :oth tit%esare ver* important from a search engine optimization perspective$ and *ou shou%d use them both to
optimize the ran,ing of *our web pages"
:* defau%t$ the Title propert* that *ou specif* for *our page is used for both the content area Eh1F and the
browserGs tit%e bar Etit%eF" SharePoint Server 2013 a%%ows *ou to diHerentiate between the two" To specif* a
diHerent browser tit%e$ c%ic, to edit *our page" In the 'ibbon$ activate the P!E tab" .e#t$ from the
"anage group$ c%ic, the drop-down option on the E#it Properties button" rom the drop-down menu$
choose the E#it SEO Properties option"
On the SEO Properties page$ in the Browser Title e%d$ specif* the tit%e that *ou want to disp%a* in the
browserGs tit%e bar"
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wor# about hierarchical browser titles
4 common practice for bui%ding browser tit%es is to ma,e them hierarchica%$ for e#amp%e=
4< 100 L Tab%ets L ontoso 7%ectronics
In this e#amp%e$ Contoso Electronics is the name of the website$ Tablets is the name of the current productcategor*$ and AX 1 is the name of the current product" On comp%e# websites$ hierarchica% tit%es can he%p
search engines understand the structure of *our website" 6ierarchica% tit%es a%so ma,e it easier for *our
visitors to understand where in *our website hierarch* the* are current%* browsing"
If *ou enab%e the Search Engine Optimi$ation Site %ollection &eature$ the browser tit%e wi%% be
rendered b* the SeoBrowserTitle contro%" SeoBrowserTitle is a 9e%egate ontro%$ which is registered
with the activation of the Search Engine Optimi$ation Site %ollection &eature. It rep%aces the
contents of the PlaceHol#erPageTitle p%aceho%der with the browser tit%e" The browser tit%e is either the
same as the page tit%e$ or what *ou specied on the S7O properties page"
'mportant: The Search Engine Optimi$ation Site %ollection &eature is hidden and cannot be
activated through the SharePoint &I" Instead$ *ou can activate it through PowerShe%% b* using the Enable(SP&eature cmd%et"
rom SharePointGs perspective$ a t*pica% hierarchica% tit%e wou%d %oo, %i,e=
Page L ategor* L Site
)hen using /anaged .avigation$ there is no distinction between pages and categories L the* are both
terms in the navigation hierarch*" 4dditiona%%*$ there is no standard contro% avai%ab%e that wou%d a%%ow *ou
to render the tit%e of the parent navigation node" 4n e#ception to this situation is when using cross-site
pub%ishing$ which is discussed later in this article.
If omitting the categor* name from the hierarchica% &'( is a sucient wor,around$ *ou can render the
hierarchica% tit%e as fo%%ows=
MN--/S=MSharePoint=PageTit%e runatserverQ--QMN--/S=Masp=ontentP%ace6o%der idP%ace6o%derPageTit%e runatserverQ--Q
MN--/S=MSharePoint=ProRectPropert* Propert*Tit%e runatserverQ--QMN--/7=MSharePoint=ProRectPropert*Q--Q
MN--/7=Masp=ontentP%ace6o%derQ--QMN--/S=Masp=(itera% Te#t - runatserverQ--QMN--/7=Masp=(itera%Q--QMN--/S=MSharePoint=ProRectPropert* Propert*Tit%e runatserverQ--QMN--/7=MSharePoint=ProRectPropert*Q--Q
MN--/7=MSharePoint=PageTit%eQ--Q
"eta )escription
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7ven though itGs not a%wa*s used b* Internet search engines$ it is important that *ou provide a meta
description for *our web pages" Internet search engines decide for themse%ves what description the* want
to show for the search resu%t" :* providing a meta description$ *ou increase *our chances of having the
Internet search engines use *our! meta description"
4s with :rowser Tit%e$ "eta )escription is one of the S7O properties that *ou can manage on the SEOProperties page"
4fter *ou have set a meta description$ SharePoint Server 2013 wi%% render it using the
Seo"eta)escription contro%" This is a 9e%egate ontro% that is registered with the activation of the
Search Engine Optimi$ation Site %ollection &eature" Since itGs a 9e%egate ontro%$ the on%* additiona%
step *ou need to do in order to have the meta description rendered in the 6T/($ is to ensure that *our
/aster Page contains the ##itionalPageHea#er 9e%egate ontro%" This 9e%egate ontro% is used as a
container for a%% SharePoint Server2013 S7O contro%s"
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E*clu#e from 'nternet Search Engines
On *our website$ there are pages that *ou donGt want Internet search engines to inde#" 7#amp%es of such
pages are archive pages or an an error page"
To prevent such pages from being inde#ed$ *ou can se%ect the E*clu#e from 'nternet Search Engines
chec,bo# on the SEO Properties page" )hen se%ected$ SharePoint Server 2013 wi%% add the fo%%owing
code snippet to the web pageGs 6T/(=
This snippet is rendered b* the Seo+o'n#e* 9e%egate ontro%$ which is activated with the Search Engine
Optimi$ation Site %ollection &eature"
?"2 anonica% &'(
)hen inde#ing web pages$ Internet search engines register them with a specic &'(" If a web page can be
accessed from diHerent &'(s$ the page wi%% be inde#ed with mu%tip%e &'(s" To improve the ran,ing of *our
web pages in search resu%ts$ *ou need to ensure that ever* page is inde#ed under one &'( on%*" 6aving
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the same page inde#ed under mu%tip%e &'(s not on%* divides the search resu%t ran,ing of that particu%ar
page amongst the diHerent &'(s$ but a%so introduces a ris, of being pena%ized for content dup%ication"
&sing canonica% &'(s is one wa* to contro% the &'( under which the web page is inde#ed"
SharePoint Server 2013 can automatica%%* generate a canonica% &'( for web pages"
How you can use the canonical ,-
&pon the activation of the Search Engine Optimi$ation Site %ollection &eature$ SharePoint Server
2013 wi%% automatica%%* generate a canonica% &'( for *ou" On the Search Engine Optimi$ation Settings
page$ *ou can congure which Duer* string parameters shou%d be inc%uded in the canonica% &'(" 4s a
resu%t$ *ou wi%% nd the meta tag rel!"canonical" rendered in the 6T/( of *our page"
%onguring canonical ,- parameters for #ynamic web pages
)hen bui%ding d*namic web pages$ the content of the pages ma* var* based on diHerent parameters
passed in the &'($ such as to disp%a* artic%es pub%ished in a certain month or b* a certain author" If thevariations are minor$ such as sorting$ *ou wou%dnGt want Internet search engines to inde# the same page
twice" On the other hand$ if the parameter causes the page to disp%a* a diHerent set of products$ *ou
wou%d want Internet search engines to inde# the page twice"
:* defau%t$ SharePoint Server 2013 inc%udes a%% Duer* string parameters in the canonica% &'(" 6owever$
*ou can change this b* navigating to the Site settings of *our website$ and opening the Search Engine
Optimi$ation Settings page" In the %onsoli#ate lin0 popularity with canonical ,-s section$ choose
the &ilter lin0 parameters option$ and provide a %ist of Duer* string parameters that shou%d be inc%uded
in canonica% &'(s on *our website" &se a semi-co%on between each parameter"
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?"3 Site ownership
verication
Optimizing *our website for Internet search engines is an ongoing process" :ecause usage patterns and
search engine a%gorithms change$ *ou have to continuous%* monitor how *our web pages are performing in
Internet search engines"
The most popu%ar Internet search engines oHer *ou too%s that can he%p *ou ana%*ze how *our website isran,ed in that particu%ar search engine" 6owever$ before *ou can start to use these too%s$ *ou have to
submit *our website and conrm that *ou are the owner"
4%though the process of verif*ing the websiteGs ownership ma* diHer per webmaster too%$ the* often a%%ow
*ou to verif* site ownership b* inc%uding a generated snippet of 6T/( in *our website" 4fter the search
engine has scanned *our website and discovered the snippet$ *ou are a%%owed to use the web ana%*tics
too% to monitor the performance of *our website"
:* using SharePoint Server 2013Gs site ownership verication feature$ *ou can easi%* inc%ude the
verication code on *our website"
How you can use the site ownership erication feature
SharePoint Server 2013 a%%ows *ou to inc%ude a snippet without having to modif*ing an* of *our /aster
Pages or Page (a*outs" To inc%ude the snippet$ a%% *ou need to do is to navigate to Site settings of *our
Site o%%ection$ and from the Site %ollection #ministrator group c%ic, the Search engine
optimi$ation settings %in," :* using the 2erify ownership of this site with search engines option$
*ou can inc%ude the snippet in *our pages to comp%ete the verication process"
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?" </( sitemap
If Internet search engines canGt nd *our website$ then *our visitors canGt nd *our website b* using a
search engine" Over the *ears$ Internet search engines have improved their mechanisms to discover web
pages" In most cases$ a%% of *our web pages wi%% eventua%%* be inde#ed" 6owever$ *ou can he%p Internetsearch engines discover the content of *our website b* creating an </( sitemap" 4n </( sitemap is an
</( %e that contains &'(s of a%% *our pages" It can a%so inc%ude additiona% information such as when the
page was %ast changed$ how freDuent%* it changes$ and how important it is compared to other pages on
*our website"
/anua%%* creating and maintaining an </( sitemap is ver* tedious" (uc,i%*$ SharePoint Server 2013 is
capab%e of creating an </( sitemap automatica%%* for *ou"
How can you use 3" Sitemap
To have SharePoint Server 2013 create an </( sitemap for *ou$ a%% *ou have to do is to activate the
Search Engine Sitemap Site %ollection &eature" The Search Engine Sitemap 4ob timer Rob$ whichb* defau%t runs once ever* da*$ ensures that *our </( sitemap is ,ept up to date"
'mportant: 4%though SharePoint Server 2013 creates an </( sitemap dai%*$ *ou can adRust the schedu%e
to meet *our reDuirements" P%ease note that freDuent%* creating a </( sitemap might have impact on the
performance of *our websiteenvironment"
4fter the </( sitemap has been created$ *ou can submit it to the Internet search engines of *our choice
for processing" /ost Internet search engines oHer a too% to submit an </( sitemap in their webmaster
too%,it"
)hen generating an </( sitemap for *our website$ SharePoint Server 2013 uses the &'( associated with
the 'nternet 5one ESPSite&r% for 6ost-named Site o%%ections and 4%ternate 4ccess /apping for path-
based Site o%%ectionsF" If no &'( is associated with the Internet one$ SharePoint Server 2013 uses thedefau%t &'("
The </( sitemap generated b* SharePoint Server 2013 inc%udes a%% Pub%ishing Pages and content that is
pub%ished using cata%ogs$ e#cept for the pages that have been e#c%uded through the E*clu#e from
'nternet Search Engines option that was described earlier " The contents of the </( sitemap are
retrieved using search techno%og*$ so if *ou donGt see a%% of the content in the </( sitemap$ chec, to see if
the content has been craw%ed and inde#ed" The generated </( sitemap inc%udes not on%* pub%ishing
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pages$ but a%so cata%og content" This ma,es the </( sitemap a ver* powerfu% too% for he%ping Internet
search engines discover *our content"
?"? 'obots"t#t %e
Internet search engines have %imited amount of time to spend on *our website" To optimize the craw%process$ *ou can create a %e named robots.t#t for *our website" In this %e$ *ou can specif* web pages
that the search engines craw%ers shou%d ignore"
How you can use -obots.t*t le
SharePoint Server 2013 simp%ies creating and managing robots"t#t %es" rom Site settings$ navigate to
the Search Engines Sitemap Settings page" On this page$ *ou can specif* webpages that shou%d not be
craw%ed b* Internet search engines"
+ote: To see the Search Engine Sitemap Settings page6 *ou have to activate the Search Engine
Sitemap eature"
'mportant: The 'obots"t#t %e is created together with the </( sitemap" 9epending on the timer Rob
schedu%e$ it ma* ta,e some time for the robots"t#t %e to reKect the %atest changes"
The 'obots"t#t %e does not need to be submitted to Internet search engines" ItGs automatica%%* processed
each time an Internet search engine craw%er scans *our website for new content"
SharePoint Server 2013 automatica%%* appends the &'( of the </( sitemap to the contents of the
robots"t#t %e"
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?"C riend%* &'(s
&'(s have a big inKuence on the ran,ing of *our web pages in search resu%ts" SharePoint Server 2013
a%%ows *ou to contro% *our &'(s so that *ou can optimize them for Internet search engines"
How you can use frien#ly ,-s
:* using the /anaged .avigation method$ *ou can use the SharePoint /anaged /etadata Service to
mode% the navigation hierarch* of *our website through ta#onom* terms" or each term *ou can specif* a
search engines optimized tit%e and &'("
4dditiona%%*$ SharePoint Server 2013 a%%ows *ou to associate navigation terms to specic pages" )hen *ou
use /anaged .avigation$ *ou can use e#tension %ess &'(s$ for e#amp%e www.contoso$co%p&ters$tablets "
7#tension %ess &'(s are are more future-proof$ and reDuires %ess migration eHort from other content
management s*stems"
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C S7O O' )7:SIT7S T64T &S7 'OSS-SIT7 P&:(IS6I.5
4 new pub%ishing method that *ou can use when creating a website in SharePoint Server 2013 is search'
driven p&blishin($ often referred to as cross'site p&blishin(" In cross-site pub%ishing$ the content is stored in
one or more cata%ogs ESharePoint (istsF" Once the cata%og content is inde#ed b* SharePoint Search$ it can
be pub%ished on one or more websites" ross-site pub%ishing oHers great Ke#ibi%it* for pub%ishing structured
content$ because it a%%ows *ou to integrate the cata%og content into *our website"
ata%og content is often authored outside of the website$ and doesnGt have to be stored as pub%ishing
pages" Therefore$ there are a few additiona% things that *ou shou%d ta,e into account to ensure that *our
cata%og content is optimized for Internet search engines"
C"1 &sing
standard S7O co%umns within cata%ogs
7ar%ier in this artic%e$ the standard SEO properties that SharePoint Server 2013 a%%ows *ou to edit for
pub%ishing pages were discussed" 6owever$ when wor,ing with cata%ogs$ *our content doesnGt necessari%*have to be stored as pub%ishing pages" In fact$ an* ,ind of structured content that is stored in a SharePoint
(ist$ can be pub%ished as a part of *our website"
)hen pub%ishing cata%og content b* using cross-site pub%ishing$ SharePoint Server 2013 wi%% use one page
to show a%% *our cata%og items" 6owever$ *our visitors and Internet search engines wi%% perceive it as if
there is one page for each cata%og item" 7ver* cata%og item wi%% have its own uniDue &'($ meta tags and
bod* content$ which can be optimized for Internet search engines"
The easiest wa* to inc%ude S7O properties for cata%og content is to add the standard S7O Site o%umns to
*our cata%og"
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:* using the standard S7O Site o%umns$ *ou can %everage the standard S7O contro%s responsib%e for
rendering those properties to 6T/(" 7ven though those co%umns origina%%* be%ong to Pub%ishing Pages$ the*
can be reused within *our cata%ogs" :ecause *our cata%og can be %ocated on an* t*pe of site$ *ou need to
ensure that the Search Engine Optimi$ation Site %ollection &eature is activated$ so that the S7O Site
o%umns become avai%ab%e"
C"2 &se s%ugs to
create uniDue and meaningfu% &'(s
One of the conguration steps when pub%ishing cata%og content$ is to specif* one or more site co%umns that
wi%% ma,e up the &'( to the individua% item" This combination has to be uniDue so that ever* item can be
accessed when pub%ished"
If *our cata%og content does not inc%ude a uniDue identier$ such as IS:. or S;& number$ *ou shou%d
create a separate site co%umn for storing a uniDue te#t that is optimized for users and search engines" +ou
can use this te#t as part of the uniDue &'( for each cata%og item" If *ou are pub%ishing a cata%og of boo,s
or products$ where each item has a uniDue identier$ such as IS:. or S;& number$ it wou%d sti%% be ofadded va%ue to create a site co%umn that *ou can use as a readab%e &'( part" 4fter a%%$ the &'( is one of
the most important factors for determining the ran,ing of search resu%ts$ and *our visitors are more %i,e%*
to be %oo,ing for the name of the product or a boo, rather than its seria% number"
)hen bui%ding s%ugs$ *ou shou%d ta,e the fo%%owing tips into considerations=
9onGt use spaces or an* other specia% characters that wi%% be escaped in the &'(" This ma,es the
&'( %ess readab%e$ and more error prone when sharing on the Internet"
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'emove stop words such as for$ the$ at" Those words %engthen the &'($ and are omitted b* search
engines"
&se %ower-casing for creating s%ugs" 4%though SharePoint Server 2013 is case-insensitive$ man*
Internet search engines are not" Shou%d someone cop* *our %in, incorrect%*$ there is a ris, of having
*our content inde#ed mu%tip%e times using diHerent &'(s"
4n e#amp%e of a good s%ug for this artic%e wou%d be=
optimi$ing(sharepoint(serer(7819(websites(internet(search(engines"
Tip= The free /avention S7O S%ugs so%ution can he%p *ou generate s%ugs for *our content" or more
information see= http://www.maention.com/blog/generating(seo(slugs(cross(site(
publishe#(content(sharepoint(7819 "
C"3 :ui%d
hierarchica% tit%e for pages
7ar%ier in this artic%e$ the concept of hierarchical browser titles was discussed" This concept is easi%*
app%icab%e to cata%og content" ata%og content is based on a meaningfu% hierarch*$ which can he%p visitors
and search engines to get a better understanding of the content"
4 hierarchica% tit%e for cata%og items consists of three parts= item tit%e$ categor* name and website name$
for e#amp%e=
4< 100 L Tab%ets L ontoso 7%ectronics
Item tit%e can be rendered b* using the standard SharePoint Server 2013 Seo:rowserTit%e contro%" The
name of the categor* can be retrieved from the properties of the current navigation term using the
TermPropert* contro%$ for e#amp%e=
MN--SP/=MUV'egister Tagpre#Ta#onom* .amespace/icrosoft"SharePoint"Ta#onom*
4ssemb%*/icrosoft"SharePoint"Ta#onom*$ 8ersion1?"0"0"0$ u%tureneutra%$
Pub%ic;e*To,en@1eBbce111eB2BcUQ--Q
MN--/S=MTa#onom*=TermPropert* Propert*.ame runatserverQ--Q
MN--/7=MTa#onom*=TermPropert*Q--Q
If *ou chose to optimize the browser tit%es to a%so inc%ude categor* pages$ *ou shou%d choose the
SysSeoPropBrowserTitle propert* where the optimized browser tit%e is stored"
MN--SP/=MUV'egister Tagpre#Ta#onom* .amespace/icrosoft"SharePoint"Ta#onom*
4ssemb%*/icrosoft"SharePoint"Ta#onom*$ 8ersion1?"0"0"0$ u%tureneutra%$
Pub%ic;e*To,en@1eBbce111eB2BcUQ--Q
MN--/S=MTa#onom*=TermPropert* Propert*ustomPropert*=WS*sWSeoWProp:rowserTit%e
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runatserverQ--Q
MN--/7=MTa#onom*=TermPropert*Q--Q
C" S7Oconsiderations when using categor* pages
)hen connecting a pub%ishing site to a cata%og$ SharePoint Server 2013 can automatica%%* create a
categor* and cata%og item page for *ou" The automatica%%* created categor* page uses a %ontent Search
;eb Part and c%ient-side rendering to disp%a* the categor* contents" +ou shou%d ensure that the ontent
Search )eb Part on the categor* page wi%% render the content correct%* when itGs being accessed b*
Internet search engines craw%ers" This is discussed in more detai% later in this article"
C"? S7O
considerations when using cata%og item pages
One of the benets of using cata%ogs for content pub%ishing is that a sing%e page can be used to render the
contents of hundreds or even thousands of cata%og items" 4s *ou can imagine$ this oHers great content
management benets$ and signicant%* shortens the time to mar,et"
&sing its &'( trans%ation capabi%ities$ ever* time a page is reDuested$ SharePoint Server 2013 wi%% detect
which part of the website that &'( be%ongs to$ and a%so which page shou%d be used to render it" 7ventua%%*
the &'( wi%% be passed to the %atalog 'tem -euse ;eb Part" This )eb Part is %ocated on the cata%og
item temp%ate page$ and is used to retrieve the reDuested item"
It is possib%e that someone either copies or t*pes the &'( to one of *our cata%og items incorrect%*" 7ven
though$ SharePoint Server 2013 wi%% detect which cata%og item page shou%d be used to render the item$ theitem itse%f wonGt be found$ and an empt* page wi%% be disp%a*ed"
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This behavior can %ead to Internet search engines inde#ing a number of empt* pages as a part of *our site"
4%though SharePoint Server 2013 doesnGt oHer an* standard so%ution to this prob%em$ *ou can easi%* create
one *ourse%f b* %everaging the e#tensibi%it* capabi%ities of the SharePoint p%atform" 4%% *ou need to do is to
e#tend the ata%og Item 'euse )eb Part" Once the )eb Part has e#ecuted its search Duer* to retrieve the
cata%og item$ chec, if an* items have been found" If not$ *ou can send a 0 Page not found response code
to be hand%ed b* SharePoint" o%%owing is a code snippet showing such )eb Part=
pub%ic c%ass 7#tendedata%ogItem'euse)ebPart = ata%ogItem'euse)ebPart X
protected override void 'enderE6tm%Te#t)riter writerF X
if ESPonte#t"urrent")eb"urrent&ser nu%% YY 5et.um'esu%tsEF M 1F X
'esponse"'edirectESPonte#t"urrent"Site"i%e.otound&r%FZ[
e%se X
base"'enderEwriterFZ
[
[
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private int 5et.um'esu%tsEF X
int num'esu%ts -1Z
'esu%tTab%eo%%ection s*nc'esu%t 4pp/anager"5etS*nc'esu%tE\uer*5roup.ameFZ
'esu%tTab%e rt s*nc'esu%t"i%terETab%eT*pe$ Target'esu%tTab%eF"irstOr9efau%tEFZif Ert N nu%%F X
num'esu%ts rt"Tota%'owsZ
[
return num'esu%tsZ
[
[
@ 6O) TO 64.9(7 O//O. S7O 64((7.57S This section gives *ou tips of how *ou can so%ve common S7O cha%%enges re%ated to bui%ding websites in
SharePoint Server 2013"
@"1 4%%owing for
in-page ana%*tics
/an* web ana%*tics too%s a%%ow *ou to view in-page ana%*tics information on how %in,s on a particu%ar page
are c%ic,ed" This capabi%it* often reDuires %oading the page in an iframe to over%a* the ana%*tics data"
:* defau%t SharePoint Server 2013 doesnGt a%%ow for %oading pages in iframes" If *ou tr* to do so$ *ou wi%%
see an error"
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In order to a%%ow for %oading pages from *our website in iframes$ *ou need to add the llow&raming
contro% to the /aster Page=
MN--/S=M)ebPartPages=4%%owraming runatserverQ--Q
MN--/7=M)ebPartPages=4%%owramingQ--Q
4fter *ou pub%ish the changes to the /aster Page and re%oad *our web ana%*tics too%$ it wi%% show in-pageana%*tics information as e#pected"
@"2 6ow to
congure canonica% domain names
)hen pub%ishing a website to a vanit* &'($ *ou can choose whether the &'( shou%d inc%ude www or not$
for e#amp%e www.contoso.co% or contoso.co%" 4%though itGs unc%ear which &'( oHers the best resu%ts from
a S7O perspective$ the bottom %ine is that *ou shou%d choose one of them to use on *our website" +ou
shou%d avoid using both &'(s$ as the same content wou%d be avai%ab%e through two diHerent &'(s Ee"g"
http)$$contoso.co%$co%p&ters and http)$$www.contoso.co%$co%p&tersF" The conseDuences of this was
discussed earlier in this article"
How to congure canonical #omain name using the ,- -ewrite mo#ule
The rst step is to insta%% the &'( 'ewrite modu%e in IIS" +ou can do this b* using the ;eb Platform
'nstaller " To ensure a consistent e#perience across the diHerent servers$ *ou need to do this on ever*
webserver in *our SharePoint farm" 4%so$ *ou need to do the fo%%owing conguration steps on ever*webserver in *our SharePoint farm"
)hen *ou insta%% the &'( 'ewrite modu%e in IIS$ in the %onnections pane$ se%ect the IIS site hosting *our
website" In the main pane% open ,- -ewrite"
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rom the ctions pane%$ c%ic, the ## -ule<s=> %in," In the ## -ule<s= dia%og bo#$ choose the
%anonical #omain name rule temp%ate"
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In the ## a rule to re#irect to a canonical #omain name dia%og bo#$ enter the domain name of *our
preference$ e"g" www.contoso.com"
If *our IIS website hosts SharePoint sites with on%* one domain name$ that is *ou have mu%tip%e path-based
Site o%%ections or on%* one 6ost .amed Site o%%ection$ *ou wi%% not need to do an* further conguration"
6owever$ if *ou have mu%tip%e sites$ *ouG%% need to modif* the ru%e to a%%ow reDuests to other sites as we%%"
To do this$ *ou need to modif* the condition under which the ru%e is e#ecuted" rom the %on#itions group
se%ect the rst condition and c%ic, the E#it> button"
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hange the va%ue of the %hec0 if input string drop-down bo# to "atches the Pattern and change the
Pattern to *contoso.co%+.
)henever someone reDuests a page on *our website using the contoso"com domain$ the* wi%% be
redirected b* the Permanently "oe# <981= response" This is a%so the redirection response code used
b* Internet search engines craw%ers" :ecause the remainder of the origina% &'( is inc%uded in the new &'($
the user wi%% get to the resources the* initia%%* reDuested"
@"3 Shou%d m*
webpages use 6TTPS or 6TTP>/an* websites that contain web forms use SS( to protect the transmission of persona% information
between the browser and the webserver" Pages that contain forms are in most cases avai%ab%e on%* through
6TTPS$ and visitors are automatica%%* redirected to them shou%d the* reDuest a page through the unsecure
6TTP &'("
7ven though 6TTPS are reDuired on%* for pages that contain forms$ often the who%e website can be
accessed through both the 6TTP connection and the secure 6TTPS connection" rom a visitorGs
perspective$ this is not a prob%em" 6owever$ it %eads to pub%ishing the same content through mu%tip%e &'(s$
which was discussed preiously in this article"
If *ou want *our website to use 6TTPS on%* for pages that contain forms$ *ou cou%d use the &'( 'ewrite
modu%e for IIS" :* using the &'( 'ewrite modu%e$ *ou cou%d create canonica% &'(s that wou%d redirect thevisitors to the webpage with the right protoco%" The downside of this approach is that is can be dicu%t to
manage" )hi%e adding a form to a page in *our website is something that can be done b* the content
management team$ the conguration of the canonica% &'( is done in IIS$ where ver* %i,e%* on%*
administrators are a%%owed"
4n a%ternative approach wou%d be to ma,e the who%e website avai%ab%e through both 6TTP and 6TTPS$
where 6TTPS wou%d on%* be enforced for the pages containing forms" In such case$ the canonica% &'(
wou%d dene the preferred protoco% E6TTP or 6TTPSF under which a%% web pages shou%d be inde#ed b*
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Internet search engines" SharePoint Server 2013 doesnGt a%%ow *ou to choose which one shou%d be used to
generate the canonica% &'(" In order to support this scenario$ *ouG%% need to use custom deve%opment to
bui%d an a%ternative to the standard canonica% &'( %ogic"
The %ast option wou%d be to use on%* 6TTPS for the entire website" :* having a sing%e protoco% *ou wou%dnGt
need to worr* about *our content being accessed using mu%tip%e &'(s" In addition$ depending on theconguration of *our environment$ *ou cou%d redirect visitors from 6TTP to 6TTPS in IIS or ear%ier in *our
networ,"
@" Shou%d m*
webpages use a trai%ing s%ash nor not>
One of the new web content management capabi%ities of SharePoint Server 2013 is the abi%it* to use
riend%* &'(s E&'(F that doesnGt contain Pa(es and .asp# in the &'($ such as
http)$$www.contoso.co%$pa(es$co%p&ters.asp# " Instead$ the friend%* &'( wou%d be
http)$$www.contoso.co%$co%p&ters"
rom the &'( perspective$ there is a diHerence whether a &'( contains a trai%ing s%ash EF or not" That is$
http)$$www.contoso.co%$co%p&ters is a diHerent &'( than http)$$www.contoso.co%$co%p&ters$. )here the
rst &'( points to a sing%e resource$ the %ater refers to the root of a director*" :ecause of this diHerence$
Internet search engines inde# wi%% register these &'(s as separate &'(s"
SharePoint Server 2013 doesnGt diHerentiate between those two &'(s$ and disp%a*s the same content
despite if the trai%ing s%ash is used or not" rom a search engine optimization perspective$ this %eads to
pub%ishing the same content under diHerent &'(s"
To prevent this from happening$ *ou cou%d use the &'( 'ewrite modu%e for IIS and create a &'( that wou%d
norma%ize &'(s in *our website" To do this$ use the fo%%owing conguration steps on each webserver in *our
SharePoint farm"
4ssuming the &'( 'ewrite modu%e is a%read* insta%%ed on *our webserver$ in the %onnections pane$ se%ect
*our website" In the main pane% open ,- -ewrite" rom the ctions pane$ c%ic, the ## -ule<s=> %in,"
In the 4dd 'u%eEsF] dia%og window$ choose the ppen# or remoe the trailing slash symbol temp%ate"
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In the dia%og window$ from the The trailing slash symbol shoul# be drop-down bo# se%ect the
-emoe# if it e*ists option"
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)ith this ru%e$ ever* time visitors reDuest a page through a &'( ending with a Es%ashF$ a permanent E301F
redirect wi%% ta,e them to the page that has a &'( without the trai%ing s%ash"
@"? /icrodata
6T/($ the %anguage for bui%ding websites$ oHers %imited vocabu%ar* for describing the content of web
pages" )hi%e 6T/( ma,es it possib%e to diHerentiate between a heading and a paragraph$ it doesnGt
provide an* means to mar,up a person$ an artic%e or a recipe" This %imitation reDuires advanced %inguistic
capabi%ities of Internet search engines to actua%%* understand what *our web pages are about$ and how
the* match what the user is searching for"
To simp%if* the process of nding re%evant information on the Internet$ organizations behind the most
popu%ar Internet search engines have dened a common vocabu%ar* on top of 6T/( ca%%ed microdata Ea%so
,nown as schema"orgF" Schema"org %everages 6T/(? capabi%ities$ and introduces a number of properties
that are understood b* maRor Internet search engines" These properties are used to add meaning to the
content of *our web pages"
:ecause microdata in most scenarios app%ies to structured data$ %itt%e additiona% eHort is reDuired to
imp%ement it" The maRorit* of the eHort wi%% be focused around bui%ding Page (a*outs and 9isp%a*
Temp%ates$ both of which are created once$ and reused across the diHerent pages on the website"
Imp%ementing microdata in SharePoint Server 2013$ means that *ou shou%d inc%ude additiona% attributes in
6T/( tags in *our /aster Pages$ Page (a*outs and 9isp%a* Temp%ates" )hen bui%ding /aster Pages and
Page (a*out$ SharePoint Server 2013 oHers the new approach based on bui%ding 6T/( %es$ which are then
converted b* the 9esign /anager to SharePoint /aster Pages and Page (a*outs" or the conversion
process to succeed$ the 6T/( %es must be </(-comp%iant" /ost of the microdata schema reDuires adding
tags with va%ues that a%so can be achieved b* using the 9esign /anager" 6owever$ there are some pieces
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of the schema$ such as dates and times$ which reDuire that the information is inc%uded in an attribute of
the 6T/( tag" :ecause SharePoint Server 2013 doesnGt provide microdata-specic contro%s$ and inc%uding
server-side contro%s in 6T/( attributes is against </( specication$ the on%* so%ution is to either deve%op
microdata-specic contro%s$ or use wrapper contro%s as the one showed in the artic%e on integrating socia%
with pub%ic facing websites
Ehttp://blogs.technet.com/b/tothesharepoint/archie/7819/8?/89/integrating(social(
me#ia(with(public(facing(websites(in(sharepoint(7819.asp* F"
@"C 6ow to
inc%ude the content authorship information
4%though there are Duite a few search engines avai%ab%e on the Internet$ the biggest mar,et share is
divided between :ing and 5oog%e" )hich one is the most freDuent%* used b* *our visitors$ depends a %ot on
the mar,et and the audience *our website is focusing on" ItGs something *ou shou%d be ab%e to discover b*
using web ana%*tics too%s" If 5oog%e is the search engine most freDuent%* used b* *our visitors$ *ou shou%d
consider inc%uding authorship information to *our webpages"
:* adding authorship information to *our website$ *ou get the fo%%owing advantages=
4 picture is disp%a*ed ne#t to the search resu%t" This wi%% ma,e the search resu%t stand out compared
to search resu%ts that donGt have a picture"
If *our name is we%% ,nown in *our mar,et$ the fact that *our name is disp%a*ed ma,es it more %i,e%*
that peop%e wi%% c%ic, on the search resu%t"
.e#t to *our name$ a %in, to show more resu%ts authored b* *ou is disp%a*ed" This a%%ows *ou to
e#pose more of *our content"
Inc%uding 5oog%e authorship information in *our pages is eas* and reDuires the fo%%owing steps=
1" reate a 5oog%e^ pro%e"2" In *our 5oog%e^ pro%e$ in the (in,s section$ specif* that *ou are a contributor to *our website"
3" On *our website$ in the head section of a%% pages authored b* *ou$ inc%ude the re%!author! %in,
pointing to *our 5oog%e^ pro%e$ e"g"
M%in, re%author hrefhttps=p%us"goog%e"com123?C@ABposts Q
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MN--SP/=MUV'egister Tagpre#ontoso .amespaceontoso"SharePoint"Seo"ontro%s
4ssemb%*ontoso"SharePoint"Seo$ 8ersion1"0"0"0$ u%tureneutra%$
Pub%ic;e*To,ena2A?efCBC@f@A1d3UQ--Q
MN--/S=Montoso=Temp%atedontro%)rapper runatserverQ--Q
Montro%Q
Mcontro% t*pe/icrosoft"Oce"Server"Search")ebontro%s"ata%ogItem'euse)ebPart
assemb%*/icrosoft"Oce"Server"Search$ 8ersion1?"0"0"0$ u%tureneutra%$
Pub%ic;e*To,en@1eBbce111eB2Bc &seShared9ataProviderTrue
Se%ectedPropertiesJson_YDuotZPub%ishingontactPro%e&r%O)ST7<TYDuotZ` Q
Montro%Q
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4%though this process is re%ative%* eas*$ the third step can be cha%%enging" rom the content management
perspective$ *ou want the &'( to *our pro%e to be stored centra%%* and %oaded whenever necessar*"
9epending on how the &'(s on *our website are structured$ this might be a cha%%enging tas," SharePoint
Server 2013 Search )eb Parts are ab%e to disp%a* content based on a part of the &'($ or Duer* string
parameters" If the information that identies *ou as the author is not avai%ab%e in the &'($ *ou wi%% need to
imp%ement a custom so%ution such as the free /avention 'e%ated 9ata
Ehttp://www.maention.com/blog/wor0ing(with(relate#(#ata(in(search(#rien(
publishing(with(maention(relate#(#ata F" This so%ution wi%% %in, *our webpages to *our author
pro%e that is stored centra%%*"
8/9/2019 Optimizing SharePoint Server 2013 Websites for Internet Search Engines
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@"@ 6ow to
congure page redirects
)ebsites are constant%* changing$ and itGs ver* %i,e%* that at some point *ou wi%% restructure the hierarch*
of *our website" )hen *ou move content to another %ocation in *our navigation hierarch*$ Internet search
engines shou%d be notied of this change so that the* can adRust the information in their inde# to reKect
the new %ocations" :ecause we donGt contro% how information is stored in the inde# of Internet search
engines$ we cannot have our &'(s changed immediate%*" There are man* websites on the Internet$ and
Internet search engines have %imited resources to scan a%% those websites" It ma* ta,e a whi%e for the new
%ocation to be pic,ed up$ so is a good practice to congure a redirect from the o%d to the new %ocation"
)hen conguring page redirects$ *ou can choose whether the redirect shou%d be temporar* Eoften referred
to as a 302 redirectF$ or permanent Ea 301 redirectF" &sua%%* Internet search engines craw%ers donGt fo%%ow
temporar* redirects" So$ to ensure that search engines fo%%ow the content to the new %ocation$ *ou shou%d
a%wa*s use a permanent redirect"
4%though SharePoint Server 2013 a%%ows *ou to create redirect pages$ the* a%so support on%* temporar*
redirects" If *ou need to create a permanent redirect$ *ou shou%d either do this b* using the &'( 'ewritemodu%e for IIS$ as described in a previous section" 4%ternative%*$ *ou can create a custom so%ution that wi%%
a%%ow *ou to do this through the SharePoint user interface"
@"A ontent
aggregation with ontent Search )eb Part
)hen bui%ding websites on the SharePoint Server 2013 p%atform$ *ou wi%% %i,e%* use the new %ontent
Search ;eb Part ES)PF" This )eb Part a%%ows *ou to bui%d d*namic content aggregations which
supersedes what *ou can do with the ontent \uer* )eb Part"
:* defau%t$ the S)P uses c%ient-side rendering" rom an S7O perspective$ this ma* sound cha%%enging
since Internet search engine craw%ers have %imited support for JavaScript" (uc,i%*$ the ontent Search )eb
Part can detect when a page is reDuested b* a search bot" )hen a page is reDuested b* a search bot$ the
)eb Part wi%% automatica%%* switch to server-side rendering" 6owever$ for this switch to oHer the desired
resu%ts$ there are a few things that *ou need to ta,e into account"
irst$ when bui%ding custom 9isp%a* Temp%ates for the ontent Search )eb Part$ *ou need to create the
JavaScript version for c%ient-side rendering$ as we%% as the <S( version for server-side rendering" It ma*
seem tempting at rst to Rust use the standard Server'enderTemp%ate"#s% temp%ate$ Rust as the standard
9isp%a* Temp%ates do" 6owever$ the conseDuence of this is that *our content wi%% be rendered using a non-
semantic 6T/( mar,up" This wi%% ver* %i,e%* %ead to %ower page ran, of *our pages" The best practice$ from
a S7O perspective$ is therefore to create a <S( temp%ate that wi%% produce the e#act same semantic and
optimized 6T/( mar,up Einc%uding microdata if app%icab%eF that is used when rendering content to visitors")hi%e it doub%es the wor, *ou have to do$ it increases *our websites S7O"
.e#t$ after *ou have created the <S( a%ternative$ *ou shou%d %in, it to *our 9isp%a* Temp%ate" +ou can do
this b* using the %rawler 3S &ile propert* of the 9isp%a* Temp%ate"
8/9/2019 Optimizing SharePoint Server 2013 Websites for Internet Search Engines
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If *ou want to test how *our content is rendered to Internet search engine craw%ers$ simp%* append @
-en#erOnSererAtrue to the &'( of *our page" 4%ternative%*$ *ou can use a too% such as the &ser-4gent
Switcher p%ugin for irefo#$ and set the &ser-4gent string to "o$illa/.8 <compatibleC "S'E .81C
;in#ows +TC "S Search D.8 -obot="
A S&//4'+
)hen bui%ding websites$ having them being found b* Internet search engines determines how successfu%
the* are" :* using a number of optimization techniDues$ *ou can improve how the content of *our website
is discovered and inde#ed b* Internet search engines" SharePoint Server 2013 oHers a number of features
to he%p *ou optimize *our website for Internet search engines" This artic%e has introduced these features$
and used e#amp%es to show how *ou can app%* them to *our website" 4dditiona%%*$ the artic%e has
discussed common S7O-re%ated cha%%enges$ e#p%ained how the* impact *our website$ and used e#amp%es
to show how *ou can overcome these common cha%%enges"