Definitions - User Agents - 2/3/2005
User Agents usually refer to the unique string that each type of web browser, search engine spider, or screen reader sends to a web page before it receives the page. Most sites keep logs of each request that are made of them, and make note of the User Agent associated with each request. These logs can then be analyzed to determine statistics such as % of users using Internet Explorer, # of times the site has been spidered by Google, etc.
More advanced web sites actually customize the content of the pages that are sent based on the particular User Agent that is requesting the page. Unfortunately, this ability to customize the page based on who is looking at it has led to very unethical practices in regards to Search Engine Optimization. A common technique is to display pages simply laden with keywords to search engines, while displaying meaningful content to users. This practice is now grounds to be removed from search engines if the web site is caught.
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About the Author: Netensify is an extremely effective internet marketing firm that works tirelessly to increase market share and profits for it's clients. Unlike most marketing firms, Netensify's staff have in-depth knowledge of all of the technical aspects of search engines, web site development, and marketing technologies, allowing them to deliver outstanding results.
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