Can you optimize Dynamic Pages?

[apozielli]

Should a Web site with hundreds of pages, many of them dynamic, for example, with URLs that include http://xxxx.xxxx.com/xxxx.taf?_function=detail&school_type=19&split=116&pagenum=1&_UserReference=7F00000146B55EF927EE610B9271461E242 0&_start=1, be optimized for all pages? If so, I would then have to change the pages to .html or implement mod rewrites, correct?

[St0n3y]

Search engines will usually find and index dynamic pages no problem. I think you wan to make sure they are limited to no more than three variables in the string. But yes, dynamic pages can and should be optimized.

[beu]

Should a Web site with hundreds of pages, many of them dynamic, for example, with URLs that include http://xxxx.xxxx.com/xxxx.taf?_function=detail&school_type=19&split=116&pagenum=1&_UserReference=7F00000146B55EF927EE610B9271461E242 0&_start=1, be optimized for all pages? If so, I would then have to change the pages to .html or implement mod rewrites, correct?
Like St0n3y said, the best use of your time would not be to create an html version of your site with rewrites but you might consider a site map linking to most of your dynamic pages. Just keep in mind that it is best to use less than 100 links per page.

[kallestie]

Sitemaps work great! I have had wonderful success with them. You just have to remember that when you make massive changes to the database and thereby create more pages, you will have to add those pages to your sitemap and resubmit it to the SEs.

Also, I have found it best to not only create the SE sitemaps, but one for the website as well linking it from the homepage to give spiders an extra shot at indexing my pages. :cool:

[cryptblade]

You'll want to optimize everything like.. robots.txt... optimized URLs (yes, SEs can index sites with dynamic parameters, but you CAN be optimized - so why not?).... sitemaps dont help you be optimized... everything else like your URLs and robots.txt have to be properly in place before sitemaps help. The idea behind sitemaps is that they help SEs find all the pages in the site. But the SEs can still determine that the rest of your pages are crap and throw them into supplemental results - then you're still screwed. Take care of the rest above - then add the sitemaps for extra insurance.