Iframe redirect bad for SEO?

[wellbo]

Hi,

I have a website (http://www.blowingminds.de) wich I put a spreadshirt shop into via iframe.

The thing is I am not sure on how the iframe effects my SEO? Can I just optimise the main domain for search?

Well I want the spreadshirt shop to be found under the domain name (www.blowingminds.de) but the only real way to do it is by implementing an iframe because each spreadshirt shop has its own subdomain eg.: blowingminds.spreadshirt.de but the only real way to do it is via iframe, as they do not offer a complete domain redirect. (Or have I overseen some other way?)

I hope you guys can help me on this one

Thanks in advance.

Malte

[RobertFisher]

Malte

First content in an Iframe cannot be indexed. Your site http://www.blowingminds.de has all content inside an IFrame so no value for SEO.

With some of our sites where a product/service provider provides their info via feeds to an iframe, we build the site to have its own content, etc. and place an iframe on the page with the feed coming in. (In the US we see this a lot with real estate sites though it appears to be going away even there). If we want to optimize around something within the Iframe, we have to optimize what is outside the frame in order to do so. 
As it stands now, unless I have missed something here, your site has no chance at Domain or Page Authority.

Hope this helps

[SimonCullum]

Content in an iFrame can be indexed, that's the biggest issue here. iFrames have a URL all of their own, so are a page in their own right. Sometimes they are wrapped in a Frameset, which can tie them together to produce a whole normal page.

If their is any way to avoid using an iFrame, then go for it. If not, then it's not just about SEO anyway, Usability is also very important and it's often a compromise that has to be made.

So do what's best for the User Experience and cater for SEO afterwards, which could be using a 'NoIndex, Follow' tag on each iFrame and an 'Index, Follow' tag on the overall main page URL.

Regards

Simon

[AlanMosley]

i would do a request on the iframe and stream it inot the page, this may get messy with forms posting and stuff

[RobertFisher]

Simon is correct, I was being over simplistic and imprecise. From GWMT: Google supports frames and iframes to the extent that it can. Frames can cause problems for search engines because they don't correspond to the conceptual model of the web.

The content can be indexed but it will typically be from the originating url as opposed to the destination url.

The question was: How does the iframe effect my SEO? Can I just optimize the main domain for search? I want the spreadshirt shop to be found under the domain name (www.blowingminds.de)

As it stands now, from looking at www.blowingminds.de, there is nothing outside the iframe. All of the iframe urls resolve to the subdomain = blowingminds.spreadshirt.de. So, once shopping begins, a product is selected for further consideration, then you are redirected to the subdomain.

If the SEO he is speaking of is that of www.blowingminds.de, and if by I want the spreadshirt shop to be found under means that when someone searches on a search engine for it I want them to find blowingminds.de and not blowingminds.spreadshirt.de then, it is likely he is going to be disappointed.

While I agree that user experience is important, Spreadshirts appears to have developed an affilate model that utilizes an iFrame wherein they keep all the juice. They do not want blowingminds.de to become stronger than spreadshirts.de. They are fine with the subdomain gaining authority (this is my opinion).

So, it would appear what he is asking is (for practical purposes) not doable. He can either use the subdomain provided by spreadshirts:  .blowingminds.spreadshirts.de or redirect to that from an Iframe which is provided.

Good catch Simon. Helps keep us on our toes to be more precise.

[SimonCullum]

Thanks Robert, much appreciated. Your answer here is certainly detailed and well thought out, should be of help, nice one

[RobertFisher]

Thanks for catching it, really. I actually laughed, and while kicking myself said...bright one bigfish.

Best