You are here:
- Manual
- Development
- Forms
- Forms for navigation
- Scriptless visitors and search spiders
Forms: Navigation forms for script-less visitors and search spiders
Disadvantages of client-side scripts
The functionality of a navigation form tends to depend on client-side scripts. This has two disadvantages.
- A visitor whose browser does not support client-side scripts will be confronted with a form that does not work.
The links in the menu will not be accessible for these script-less visitors if using the form is the only means of following these links. - Search spiders will ignore the navigation form.
Search spiders do not support client-side scripts. Actually, they will not use any functionality that has been included in these forms. If a form is the only means of following the links in the meny, search spiders will not be able to index them.
If a website can only be navigated by means of such navigation forms, the website will become completely inaccessible to the two groups referred to above. With other groups it may cause irritation and inconvenience.
Do not use client-side script or forms as the only way of accessing information on the site.
Guideline R-pd.13.5
Solutions
If a navigation form is not the only means of accessing information on the site, the problem for search spiders is essentially solved. They will use the alternative forms of navigation to access the information.
Server-side script
If web developers have the form refer to a server-side script, even visitors whose browsers do not support client-side scripts can use it. A server-side script is not affected by the limitation of browsers, it can execute the redirection for the visitor. However, this method does require access to and experience with server-side scripts. See also Server-side scripts as an alternative.
The noscript element
Likewise, a list of text links within a noscript element is beneficial both to script-less visitors and search spiders. This list (that is accessible to search spiders) can be displayed if client-side scripts are not supported. It serves an alternative if the form cannot be used.
