Hi guys sorry if this is in the wrong section. I was wondering what software you guys use to visualize your websites architecture?
Uhm... could you be more specific in what you mean by "architecture" -- that's a bit... vague. Do you mean back end code? Visual layout? Directory structure? I can think of several dozen different things that could be called that. Document structure? Progressive enhancement by media target? Overall interaction of the various bits used to build a site?
Well, what do you mean by "URL Structure" -- do you mean the directory structure? Method of passing requested pages dynamically? STILL not sure what "visualizing" has to do with that.... much less "software"; what does any software have to do with that?!? Unless you're looking for some goofy tool -- usually the only thing about such software that can be considered professional grade tools being the people promoting them!
I mean something like this http://justinbriggs.org/how-visualize-open-site-explorer-data-in-gephi I am starting to use gephi to see what it can do. Sorry to disappoint but I'm not trying to sell anything and if you want to get more clarification on something just ask you don't have to be sarcastic. I'm new to SEO and I sometime get the terminology's wrong, we are here to help each other.
Sorry if you interpreted that as sarcasm; I was actually being serious; such 'tools' usually are a waste of time and effort better spent on developing content of value, marking it up semantically, and doing proper promotion of your site. "dicking around" in any analysis tools more complex than the normal server log tools (like Analog and Webalizer) is generally used by SEO scam artists to trick nubes into thinking they know what they are talking about. I even include garbage like Google Analytics in that; anything it tells you that can't be gleaned from the server log files with webalizer is most likely NOT anything more than a waste of time. But then MOST of the stuff people CALL SEO is little more than nube predation; from using 'unique' magic-word searches to claim good results against non-competing competitors, endless visualizations of numbers that could be used to say anything they want (which is what that gephi tool seems to be), to playing halfwit games abusing HTML -- it's all one giant mess of "who's backside are they pulling this malarkey out of?" That's not your fault; you're just being led down the garden path. You're just starting out, it happens to most people. Semantic markup of content of value, linked to from other sites relevant to your topic... that is the beginning and end of SEO; Anything else is polishing a turd, deluding oneself with methods more likely to get you slapped down than promoted, wasting time on 'statistics' that don't really matter, or an outright scam by the scumbags who have turned SEO into a cottage industry into itself; the last of those completely unwarranted since SEO is a small but important part of content generation and site building/promotion. That there are people who 'specialize' in it, most of whom wouldn't know SEO from the hole in their backside is mind-numbingly stupid. Just poke your head into the SEO sub-forums here at digitalpoint to see the sleazeball scam artists and their hoodoo-voodoo bull in action. In this case, such 'visualization' is a giant pile of bull and a complete waste of time... concentrate on building a useable site again with semantic markup, and the rest will tend to itself.
Yeah sorry I miss interpreted that, I just don't like other members having a go at newer members rather then trying to help. Thanks for the advise. I am just looking for something I can use to see the links between my pages to visualize it better, but I know what you mean with the hoodoo voodoo and luckily I don't go for that. What do you think is important to SEO? do you believe in keywords,silo website structure...etc?
In terms of 'visualizing' it -- if the structure of my pages was so complex I needed to 'visualize' it, I'd assume I did something wrong! Menu for the main category, drilldown in a sidebar if needed for subsections of the categories, searchable article index with tags/categories if there's enough content to warrant it, accesskeys/non big-screen menu for mobile, done. As to what I consider important for SEO, I go back to what's most important for every website... IT's a mantra that drives every level of my development process. Say it with me people: CONTENT IS KING! Well written unique content of value is the be-all end-all of EVERY level of site development, and it should be used to dictate the markup AND the styling. That's why my process for developing a site is to start with the content or at the very least a reasonable facsimile of what will be content, and marking it up semantically; PROPERLY obeying the rules of what the HTML tags MEAN. As I often say (was even my signature here at one time) "If you choose your markup based on the tags default appearance, you're choosing the wrong tags for the wrong reasons". Then and only then do I concern myself with the "window dressing" that is the various CSS LayoutS (yes, plural) for all the different media targets and device capabilities. It's also why I consider the entire process so called "designers" do dicking around drawing goofy pictures in Photoshop to be putting the cart before the horse; most such "designers" not knowing enough about HTML, CSS or Accessibility to be designing but two things. Things like keywords should also come naturally -- honestly the whole "keywords research" strikes me as just more of the scam artist nonsense; if you have written relevant content and have ANY clue the proper terminology for the topic you are writing on, they should be there. Researching specific words and then shoe-horning them into the content after it's written -- one of the hallmarks of the alleged SEO 'experts' -- is again just trying to polish a turd. If they weren't there in properly written content at the start, they probably don't belong there at all! "Website Silo Architecture" is just a sick buzzword SEO-tards have applied to what's been known for fifteen years as drilldown navigation; honestly it is NOTHING more than scam-artist bull used to -- again -- prey on the ignorance of others. The link structure of your site, so long as all the pages are linked -- has NOT A BLASTED THING to do with how a search engine is going to rank pages on your site. ANYONE telling you otherwise doesn't know enough about HTML or search engines to be flapping their gums about it, and is packing you so full of sand you could change your name to Sahara! Again, SEO in a nutshell for 'real' websites: Content of value Marked up semantically Promoted with backlinks from relevant websites DONE!!! Anything else is hoodoo-voodoo fantasy land bull used by scam artists to prey on the ignorance of the average person who doesn't know any better. It's why I look upon the entire industry of "SEO" with disgust to the point of nausea, as they're all just a bunch of filthy little degenerates. They make up statistics, card-stack their facts, and cherry pick values to make their hoodoo-voodoo look relevant -- when in most every case it's a bunch of nonsense. It's not rocket science -- SEO "experts" make it look like rocket science so they can dupe people who don't know any better into forking over thousands of dollars for what, for all intents and purposes, is little more than snake oil.