Earlier this year at SMX Advanced I presented results from our Peak Ace test lab. These tests shed some light on a few technical points of the implementation and how Googlebot would handle them.
One of my favorite tests examined Google’s indexing of iFramed URLs and their content. In my SMX Advanced presentation, I touched on the different scenarios that can cause Google to index content inside an iFrame, while “assigning” that content to its parent URL.
The parent URL may, in some cases, rank content that exists only in the iFramed URL and not in the parent URL.
Naturally, this got people excited – and all sorts of additional questions arose. Here are a few of them with my answers.
In the iFrame test, was the iFramed content coming from the same domain or a different one?
My example showed two URLs living on the same domain: domain.com/test.html would iFrame domain.com/tobeframedA.html, so test.html can rank for content that only exists in tobeframedA.html.
The same goes for externaldomain.com/tobeframedB.html – which can still cause test.html to rank for content that is only present in tobeframedB.html, as well as for iFrames located on subdomains. We tested every combination we could think of and concluded that it doesn’t matter where the iFrame content is located.
If you want to prevent someone from loading (and ranking) your content in an iFrame, you might want to look at the X-Frame-Options header. This indicates whether the browser should be allowed to display the page in an iFrame.
If we were to use iFrames with a no-indexed content page, would the parent page still rank for the listed content with the intent to improve page speed?
As soon as the iFramed URL contains the meta robots noindex directive, the parent URL will not be able to rank for content from the iFramed URL.
The same is true if an iFrame URL that would be served with a header directive without an X-Robots index or is actively blocked by a robots.txt file.
In terms of page speed, iFrames support the loading=”lazy” attribute, which would delay loading iFrames off-screen until the user moves near them. This is an elegant solution to speed up load times for URLs that depend on iFramed content.
Does Google give full value to semi-hidden content (content that typically comes after ‘Read more’)?
There doesn’t seem to be much love for using the “Read More” feature in the Google ranks. John Mueller has chimed in a few times here and here, questioning the use of the functionality in its entirety. Mueller added, “I don’t think you would see a noticeable, direct change in SEO, […]”.
When we tested it, the purpose of the test was to understand what difference the technical implementation could potentially make – and whether, in general, the content behind “Read more” would be indexed (if set up correctly).
Short answer: whether visible or not, the content would be indexed, found and returned.
However, content that was invisible during loading is not highlighted in the clip. The technical implementation made no difference (as long as the content was part of the HTML DOM on load), leaving you free to use display:none, opacity:0, visibility:hidden, etc.
That said, in my opinion, it is impossible – due to various factors beyond our control – to create a test setup that (including the results) could provide an accurate answer regarding the “full value” part of the question.
Did you mention that duplication in certain areas of the content can be fixed by CSS implementation since it is not indexed?
I’ve introduced some behavior that I find quite interesting in relation to CSS selectors. What technically happens is that selectors like ::before create a pseudo element that is the first child of the selected element. In practice, this is often used to add cosmetic content to an HTML element.
This could also be useful from an SEO point of view as Googlebot seems to treat it the same as it would Chrome on desktop/smartphone. The displayed DOM remains unchanged (which is expected since it is a pseudoclass). As a result, content from the specified selectors will not be indexed.
So ultimately you could use this to prevent certain content from being indexed without preventing it from being displayed on the web page. You may need to display certain content that is classified as “template” (eg shipping information or legal information) or you want to create a certain content trail. This opens up many possibilities for further research.
Watch: Technical SEO testing in 2022: Separating fact from fiction
Below is the full video of my SMX Advanced presentation.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily those of the search engine country. The author’s employees are listed here.
Bastian Grimm is the CEO of Peak Ace and a renowned expert in extensive international SEO, managing sites of almost all sizes and in highly competitive industries.
Can iFrames be hacked?
With over 20 years of experience in online marketing, technical and global SEO, Bastian was named “Search Person of the Year” at the European Search Awards 2019: a welcome recognition of his contribution to the fast-growing industry.
Why you shouldn’t use an iframe?
Bastian’s believes that understanding the target market does not only mean knowing the language, but also the culture. This gave him a unique perspective on how to reach a global audience. Bastian leads a successful team of expert native speakers, equipped to serve clients in more than 25 languages, and the results speak for themselves.
Are iframes a security risk?
Are iframes bad for SEO?
With a technology-led approach, Peak Ace is a one-stop shop for highly flexible, data-driven solutions for all relevant digital marketing channels. Working closely with world-famous brands such as Airbnb, TUI, Sage and McKinsey & The company, Peak Ace is also celebrated in the marketing industry. In 2022, Peak Ace has repeatedly been recognized for its exceptional standard as an agency, being named the best large integrated agency by a number of industry award bodies. Bastian is proud to lead such an innovative and ever-expanding company. His secret? Dynamic, decisive processes, a phenomenal team and always going to bed with “zero inbox”.
Are iframes outdated?
Criminal hackers exploit this feature by embedding iFrames in pages that are pixel by pixel—invisible to the user. Inside that iFrame I can hide executable code stored elsewhere. Usually the stock is a small piece of software called a downloader.
Are iFrames a security risk?
Should you be using iFrames in 2021? It’s 2021: Don’t use iFrames for interactive content. They are old school, outdated and not doing you any SEO favors.
Can iFrames be hacked?
If you create an iframe, your site becomes vulnerable to cross-site attacks. You may receive a malicious web form that you can submit, stealing your users’ personal information. A malicious user can run the plugin. A malicious user can change the URL of the source page.
When should you not use iframe?
The iFrame contains a malicious form that can trick the user into submitting sensitive information. This threat can be addressed by using a sandbox with the removal of allowed patterns. iFrame may inadvertently download malware onto a user’s computer.
- As we emphasized above, iframes generally do not affect SEO. However, since they contain content from other sites, you should avoid using them on pages of websites that you consider important.
- IFrames are not obsolete, but the reasons for using them are few and far between. Using an IFrame to serve your own content creates a “wall” around accessing the content in that area. For crawlers like Google, it’s not immediately clear whether content in an iframe will rank as highly as if the content were simply part of the page.
- The iFrame contains a malicious form that can trick the user into submitting sensitive information. This threat can be addressed by using a sandbox with the removal of allowed patterns. iFrame may inadvertently download malware onto a user’s computer.
- Criminal hackers exploit this feature by embedding iFrames in pages that are pixel by pixel—invisible to the user. Inside that iFrame I can hide executable code stored elsewhere. Usually the stock is a small piece of software called a downloader.
- 5 reasons why you should not use iframe integration on your website
Is iFrames secure?
Reason 1: iframes cause usability issues. …
How do I make iFrames secure?
Reason 2: iframe causes problems with mobile devices. …
Are iFrames still allowed?
Reason 3: Security issues with iframe integration. …
Can iFrames be hacked?
Reason 4: iframes cause SEO problems. …
Why are iFrames not secure?
Reason 5: iframe causes problems with Google Analytics tracking.
How often do Google bots crawl a site?
iframes are a great option to keep your users more engaged. But when you use iframes, you’re handling content from third-party sources over which you have no control. As a result, iframes often pose a security threat to applications. However, we cannot stop using iframes due to security threats.
To ensure s, you should ensure that your page has the appropriate X-Frame-Options header configured. Configuring the X-Frame-Options header adds security by preventing other sites from embedding your content in their web pages. Serve your websites using HTTPS whenever possible.
How do I get Google bots to crawl my site?
iFrames are an HTML markup and have been around for a long time since they were introduced in 1997. Despite their age, they are still widely used and supported by all modern browsers.
- Criminal hackers exploit this feature by embedding iFrames in pages that are pixel by pixel—invisible to the user. Inside that iFrame I can hide executable code stored elsewhere. Usually the stock is a small piece of software called a downloader.
- iframe injection is a very common cross-site scripting attack. iframes use multiple tags to display HTML documents on web pages and redirect users to different web addresses. This behavior allows third parties to inject malicious executables, viruses, or worms into your application and execute them on users’ devices.
- Note that AdsBot will crawl your pages every 2 weeks, so you will need to fix the problem or it will happen again. Note that if you have limited the crawl rate using the crawl settings page, the crawl rate will revert to auto-adjustment after 90 days.
- Does he search Google every day? Google indexes billions of web pages. As a result, it would be impossible to index every page, every day.
- Improve Google’s ability to find and index your site
Can Googlebot access my site?
Submit a sitemap. …
Can bots crawl my site?
Make sure people know about your site. …
How long until Google crawls my site?
Provide comprehensive link navigation within your site. …
How can I tell if Google is crawling my site?
Submit a request to have your homepage indexed. …
How often does Google crawl your site?
Websites that use URL parameters instead of URL paths or page names can be more difficult to index.
Can you iFrame Google search?
For most websites, Googlebot shouldn’t access your site more than once every few seconds on average. However, due to the delay, it is possible that the rate will appear slightly higher for short periods.
Blocking Googlebot from accessing a website may directly affect Google’s ability to crawl and index the website’s content and may result in a loss of ranking in Google’s search results.
Can you embed a Google site?
Although it varies, it seems to take as little as 4 days and up to 6 months for Google to index a website and attribute authority to a domain. When you publish a new blog post, website page, or website in general, there are many factors that determine how quickly Google will index it.
Can you iframe a Google Site?
To see if your URL is showing, search for your URL on Google; if your URL is missing but this tool says it’s indexed, here’s how to find out why. The “Last Crawled” date in the Page Availability section shows the date the indexed page was used to generate this information.
Can I convert Google Site to HTML?
Depending on how active your site is, you should expect Google to index it every four to thirty days. Websites that are updated more regularly are indexed more often since Googlebot looks for new content first.
Can you embed a Google Site into canvas?
How do I embed a Google Site into another webpage?
Google Custom Search no longer supports using iframes to host a custom search engine on your site. To host your search engine on your own site (and ensure you always have the most up-to-date features), you need to add the Google Custom Search code to your site.
Can I use iframe for any website?
Is iframe SEO friendly? iFrames usually neither help nor hurt your search engine rankings. For this reason, it is best to refrain from using iFrames on main pages that you want to rank highly in search engine results. Instead, fill high-priority pages with useful, unique content and save the iFrames for other pages.
Can any website be put in an iframe?
On your computer, open the website in the new Google Sites. Click the Insert tab. Select Embed.
Are iFrames still allowed?
You can embed an entire webpage as an iframe in a new Google site. This will allow you to pull content from other websites and Google tools like Apps Script, Data Studio, and App Maker, saving you from duplicating and updating that information on your site. 2. Select “Embed” from the Insert menu.
Do iFrames work on all browsers?
Google Archiving allows you to export your website as static HTML pages and archive them. This could be a good option if you have pages for past projects that no longer need to be updated.
When should you not use iframe?
New Google pages cannot be embedded in other pages. The only option is to copy/paste the content to a page on the new site.
- An iframe, short for inline frame, is an HTML element that contains another HTML document inside. The iframe element is specified with the iframe tag. It can be placed anywhere in an HTML document, and therefore anywhere on a web page.
- HTTPS. Web pages starting with https can be embedded as iFrames in most cases. The exception to this is when the source website does not allow it to be embedded.
- iFrames are an HTML markup and have been around for a long time since they were introduced in 1997. Despite their age, they are still widely used and supported by all modern browsers.
- The iframe element is supported by all modern desktop and mobile browsers.
- 5 reasons why you should not use iframe integration on your website
What is iframe in SEO?
Reason 1: iframes cause usability issues. …
Reason 2: iframe causes problems with mobile devices. …
Is iframe good for SEO?
Reason 3: Security issues with iframe integration. …
Do iFrames work for SEO?
Reason 4: iframes cause SEO problems. …
Why iframe is not recommended?
Reason 5: iframe causes problems with Google Analytics tracking.
Does Google read iframe?
Tyson Braun January 21, 2021 in Technical SEO & SEO. An iFrame, or “inset frame,” is an HTML element that allows you to add content from another website or third party directly to your own, without disrupting the interactive elements from that piece of content.
What is iframe used for?
Does Google use iframes? Google indexes iFrames web pages by linking all framed content to the page’s parent HTML document. In the end, however, Google is not 100% in its efforts to revise iFrames. This gives webmasters room to work.
Are iframe still used?
Since search engines see content in iFrames as belonging to another website, the best you can hope for is that it has no effect. iFrames usually neither help nor hurt your search engine rankings. For this reason, it is best to refrain from using iFrames on main pages that you want to rank highly in search engine results.
What is the difference between iframe and HTML?
As we emphasized above, iframes generally do not affect SEO. However, since they contain content from other sites, you should avoid using them on pages of websites that you consider important. On the other hand, Google can sometimes have problems working with JavaScript content.
What is an iframe in marketing?
If you create an iframe, your site becomes vulnerable to cross-site attacks. You may receive a malicious web form that you can submit, stealing your users’ personal information. A malicious user can run the plugin. A malicious user can change the URL of the source page.
Why is an iframe is used?
Can structured data in an iframe be indexed? That. Google renders pages and fetches the content of any iframes.
What is an iframe tool?
An iframe is an HTML element that loads another HTML page within the document. It essentially puts another web page inside the parent page. They are commonly used for advertisements, embedded videos, web analytics and interactive content.
What is an iframe in advertising?
iFrames are an HTML markup and have been around for a long time since they were introduced in 1997. Despite their age, they are still widely used and supported by all modern browsers.
What is an iframe example?
The iframe element, short for inline frame, is an HTML element that allows embedding an external web page into an HTML document. There are no options to hide controls or repeat iframes.