Changing Course:
Updating Site Navigation The Easy Way
Things change. Websites change. Often. And when you’re managing dozens, if not hundreds, of pages of content, the most time-consuming job isn’t developing new blog entries or replying to customer e-mails. It’s changing the site’s navigation – even a little bit. To visit each page of a large site and add a new link to the navigation menu isn’t just time-consuming, in many cases, it’s just not practical. Your site’s navigation may or may not function properly during these changes and your smooth-running e-business is suddenly an HTML mess.
HTML Frames
HTML frames enable you to place all of your navigation data in a single frame. The concept of frames is simple. The browser window – what the visitor sees – is divided into frames. Each frame contains its own HTML page. Using HTML frames, you’d place all of the content in one frame and use a separate frame for all of your navigation code.
You simply update the HTML frame of the navigation page, upload the changed frame to your host server and the change is made across the whole site.
Many coders are reluctant to employ HTML frames for a few reasons. First, they make search engine spiders crazy. Because several frames (HTML pages) appear on a single browser screen, spiders have a tough time determining what each frame is for and their relationship to one another. This can result in a mis-indexed or partially indexed site. The problem can be somewhat mitigated through the use of a site map which directs spiders to site links. This way, spiders don’t have to figure out the purpose of each HTML page (something they aren’t very good at) because the site map provides all of that information to them.
Even so, many site designers don’t employ HTML frames fearing that even a site map won’t rectify the incomplete indexing issue. So, there are other ways to go – especially if your site is really dynamic (changing often) and interactive with visitors.
Server Side Coding
Better web hosts provide a server side system that enables programmers to upload files to the host server that are then executed on the server itself. Using this method to update site navigation, you’d create a separate text file that contained all of your navigation HTML code. Then, you’d direct the server to include the contents of the text file whenever your site is accessed.
The benefit of using server side storage of navigation code is that all code is located in a single file – a real benefit when reprogramming an expansive site . And because all of this code is isolated in a separate text file, you simply open the file, make the code change and close the file. Update the navigation one time, in one place. Easy. Even better, because the navigation code is executed on the server, you won’t have to worry about confusing spiders or visitors. And your site never goes off line.
Use Other Scripts for Navigation Code
PHP, which stands for Hypertext Preprocessor, is open source software (
The popularity and widespread use of PHP enables PHP navigation to interface with a number of compression formats and Windows API.
ASP is another HTML compatible technology designed to simplify and speed up the process of making changes to dynamic content. ASP stands for Active Server Pages. ASP employs server side scripts that won’t be impacted by various browser configurations employed by site visitors. ASP web pages, identified by the .asp extension, must be delivered through a server that supports ASP on a request from a visitor – a click on the navigation menu, for example.
PHP and ASP solve the problem of changing virtually any aspect of a site, from navigation to the look of the presentation layer. And because ASP is stored and run on the host server, no ASP ever gets passed to the user’s browser. This not only makes changing navigation easy, it also speeds up downloads and speeds up response times to user requests. There are numerous PHP and ASP sites that contain cut-and-paste code that you can use to create a fully dynamic, more interactive website.
Search and Replace Software
This software is low cost and is most useful for sites that are active and sites that contain template-based pages, which is the case for most start-ups. Because a template was used to create the site, the navigation code will always appear in the same location on every site page.
Search and replace software allows site owners to make changes to their sites simply. The change is made once within the software GUI and the software then goes to each page making the same change over and over. A job that would normally take hours, even days, can be done in just minutes.
There are a number of search and replace software packs, each with its own list of features and limitations. Some of the better known are “Search and Replace for Windows” from Funduc Software, Alias Find and Replace from Alias and Wildcard Search and Replace from Wildcard. All of this software searches any text or HTML file and replaces the letter strings you designate with the new letter strings you supply.
For site designers and experienced webmasters, make sure that whichever search and replace software you purchase provides a “confirmation option” that equips you to view each letter string before being replaced. You also want the option to open that particular HTML or text file to hand code the web page itself.
Indeed, things change, particularly on the W3. Using search and replace software simplifies making changes. PHP and ASP can be interfaced with a database to create truly dynamic pages – pages that welcome a visitor by name, for example. And for simple, low cost efficiency, consider the use of HTML frames.
Keep your site fresh and keep you navigation simple and up to date. If your metrics analysis indicates confusion on the part of visitors, e.g. an inordinate number of bounces, use any of these means to update your navigation, improve content accessibility and watch that conversion rate rise.
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