From a search engine perspective, are image maps a good idea?
top Not really. Image maps work by passing the (x,y) screen coordinates of the mouse pointer when the mouse button is pressed. Then a scripting language figures out which button you “pressed” and changes the browser window accordingly. The majority of search engines will not be able to follow navigation links set up this way because the spiders do not generate a “click” event to allow the execution of the script that opens the nest page. So, it’s best if you use hard links within your navigation menu, and give the search engines the path of least resistance as they index your site.
