I have been using AV Arcade for a while now and think it’s a great script.
I have spent a lot of time looking through the source code and have have some success with my arcade site.

There are a few small issues with the script which don’t detract from the usability, but could reduce crawlability, SERPs and so on.

What’s the difference?

AV Arcade v4.0.2 [Unofficial] is my contribution to the great free arcade script.
I have removed and updated any redundant code.
I made the whole script w3c compliant, in the hope of making search engine indexing and updating easier.
I have implemented various small SEO changes to various pages.

Most of the changes I made were small.

It will, hopefully, make creating modules and templates a little easier too.

I havn’t changed the functionality of the script at all, but hope to have cleaned it up and added a few small tweaks.

When I first installed the script, well version 4, I checked it for validation errors…

[ Before ]

Most of these were minor and all were easily fixed, but should hopefully help Google index new sites and content faster.

[ After ]

What’s New

I have included as many bugfixes on the AV Arcade Forums as I could find.
I have also added, edited or created the following:

• Fully XHTML v1.0 Strict Valid
• CSS Level 2.1 Valid (See below)
• Bugfixes
• 9 Languages
1. Arabic
2. Chineese Simplified
3. Dutch
4. Spanish
5. Finnish
6. French
7. German
8. Italian
9. Portuguese
• New template
1. 5 Banners + .psd
2. XHTML 1.0 Strict Valid
3. Adsense Optimized
• Sitemap page
• Bookmark Module
• Tested with 3 Browsers
1. Internet Explorer v7.0.57
2. FireFox v3.0.4
3. Opera v9.62

I also fixed a few issues with the AVElf template.

AVElf Banners

Notes!

Please remember to backup all files before making any changes!

No SQL was harmed during the making of this update (No need to update or change it)

CSS is only valid with Featured games disabled, so the button is hidden if the option is on (For the delta template)
AVElf won’t work with Featured games disabled without modification.

To use the AVElf Template, you need to follow the steps below:

1. Login and go to the Admin / Settings page
2. Turn OFF Featured Games
3. Select AVElf from the Templates on the left hand side
4. Upload the contents of the “# Replace” folder into your main site
5. Choose your banner image and upload to the images folder (Renaming to banner_image.jpg).

To switch back to the Delta Template:

1. Login and go to the Admin / Settings page
2. Select delta from the Templates on the left hand side
3. Upload the contents of the “# Replace” (in the delta template) folder into your main site

AVElf is a little different from other AV Arcade Templates I’ve seen, and has been modified a lot.

The flash arcade skin it totally free. All I require you leave the link in the footer.

I have moved the locations of the Featured Games and News modules so they fit into the template better.
I have also SEO and Adsense Optimized this template a little, including keywords hear the header more text on pages and so on.

Install

1. Turn off “Featured Games” on the Admin/Settings page.
2. Upload all files from the “# Replace” folder and overwrite the original ones.
3. Set AVElf as the default skin on the Admin/Settings page.
4. Report any bugs or errors!

Notes

Please note: This no longer works with the official AV Arcade source code. It will only display correctly when used with AV Arcade v4.0.2 c [Unofficial].
This template has been tested on:
– FireFox v3.0.4
– Internet Explorer v7.0.5
– Opera v9.62
This template looks best when viewed with FireFox, as with any website.

Please note:
This template has been updated to fit into the w3c valid version. The Template is included with the modified code

                   

About AV Arcade

AV arcade is a free arcade script from AV Scripts. It has features which easily match those of paid scripts. There is no need for anyone to buy an arcade script!

AV Arcade will always be free, but support is much needed to make sure AV Arcade is around for longer. If you purchase a Gamepack or copyright removal you are really helping to keep AV Arcade development going. Version 4.0 is not too far away and will include some great new features including this template you see right here.

AV Arcade is available for free by following the link below:
Download AV Arcade

A few small tweaks to your existing code can produce great benefits from search engines.
You don’t need to make every page meet HTML 4.1 Strict conditions, but I think XHTML 1.0 Transitional is suitable. Some times you will have to forfeit valid code for functionality or appearance.

This tutorial covers some of the more common validation errors, and how to avoid them.

Search Engine Optimization and Valid Code

Search engines love valid code. It’s faster to crawl, easier to index and improves SERPs relevancy.

It’s a good idea to validate your page after creating or making changes to see if there are any major problems. This simple check can help in many ways:

• Tag spell checker
• Find invalid code
• Find unclosed/unopened tags
• Find badly nested tags
• Prevent scripts crashing

You can Validate You Web Pages using these links:

• Markup Validation Service
• CSS Validation Service
• Feed Validation Service
• W3C mobileOK Checker [Beta]
• W3C’s Link Checker

Common Validation Mistakes

There are some things which get made priority over others. For example: Getting a web site up and running can often mean forgetting to target, or even add, alt tags for each image used.
My experience has been, these small errors build up. Before you know it, you have 150 validation errors!

150 validation errors could mean only 10 mistakes. So don’t get too worried if there seems to be a lot when you validate your code.

Below is a list of common HTML validation errors:

Deprecated HTML tags

Older HTML tags and attributes that have been superseded by other more functional or flexible alternatives (whether as HTML or as CSS ) are declared as deprecated in HTML4 by the W3C – the consortium that sets the HTML standards. Browsers should continue to support deprecated tags and attributes, but eventually these tags are likely to become obsolete and so future support cannot be guaranteed.

These are a few common tags, which should be avoided:

Missing alt tags

Every image should have an ‘alt tag‘. This helps to increase keyword relevancy and crawlability by image searching services.
Even if the tag is blank, it’s best to have one in place. It’s easy to be tempted to fill every image with the same keywords in an attempt to spam. I don’t think it would make much difference and prefer to think the variety in keywords is a better way to use the space.

It’s also worth remembering that if the picture can’t be found, the alt tag will be displayed instead of the picture. So try to keep it appropriate and short if it’s a small picture!

Examples of good use of the alt tag:

Escape slashing single tags

There are some tags which are singular and don’t require a closing tag. These should have a / added before the closing bracket.
Below are a few example tags:

Incorrect tag nesting

Some tags are required to be placed within other tags to be displayed correctly.
Below are a few example tags which should be placed in div tags…

Unclosed tags

Keeping track of how many tags you have open can help prevent multiple errors for one mistake.
A common error is having nested or generated div tags, but leaving one or more open.
This is easy to spot when validating the page.

Closing Notes

In my opinion, it’s best to try to keep as many pages valid as possible. It’s good practice to remember the tags needed and validate the code during or after any changes (even small ones, as spelling mistakes can be overlooked!).

As mentioned before, it’s nearly impossible to keep every line of code valid to html 4.1 strict standards. Just consider the benefits and drawbacks before using non-valid code.

If you’re not sure where the validation error is, start from the top. Validate the page and fix the top error. Re-validate the page and more errors will have disappeared. Rinse and repeat as required.