Despite their ubiquity, frames can be tough on search engine positioning. While Google and Inktomi now index framed sites, some of the top search engines still cannot follow frame links. They only "see" the frameset page and ignore the rest of the frame layout. This is a problem because it's on those inner pages where the keyword-rich content resides.

The easiest way to resolve the issue would be to just avoid using frames. Sometimes however, that's just not possible. A partial solution is to add the noframes tag to the frameset page. Between the noframes tag you can add keywords and descriptive content that any search engine can spider. Moreover, it will create a way for people with older, frame-incapable browsers, to read what's on your site. It's important to place a link to the "home" page in the noframes tag as well. From there, search engines can crawl through the rest of the site.

Our solution however, creates another problem. If search engines index individual pages within the site, visitors may come to them without the proper "context" being established. In other words, they won't see the page within a frame, but all on its own.

Many webmasters never anticipate the fact that their pages may be viewed outside a frame's context. Consequently, their pages may lack links back into the site, effectively "trapping" inexperienced web surfers on the page. To avoid this problem, always include a "home" link at the bottom of all your pages.