Trying to add text above footer

I'm thinking that I need more food for Google on my main page, so I'm trying to add a block of text after my category images and before my footer on the main page only, but my text isn't showing up. I read several posts on how to add text after the main body and before the footer, and as a result I did this:

I went to my root/includes/templates/template_default/templates file and I'm trying to edit the tpl_index_default.php

I'm not a coder, but I tried to figure it out by myself without having to ask you guys, and I can't get it to work -

This is what I put before the </div> at the end of the page but it doesn't work. Obviously i have to format what text goes inside the () but temporarily i put in the following sample text - (THIS IS WHERE I WILL PUT MY TEXT)

this is what I added to the bottom of my tpl_index_template -

<?php include(THIS IS WHERE I WILL PUT MY TEXT); ?> </div>

that didn't work so i tried this -

<?php include(THIS IS WHERE I WILL PUT MY TEXT)); ?><?php } ?> </div>

and that's not working either. i don't even know if i'm putting it in the right area. can someone give me direction, please. and as always A HUGE THANK YOU for all your help.

look here please:

includes/ templates/ default_template/ common/ tpl_main_page.php
Remember to save into your_template (override folder name)

Can you tell me if I'm inserting the code correctly? I show two different ways, are either of these correct? Thanks for helping me.

I have no idea of how to code, so I don't know if I'm putting in the correct string.

Well i would edit this file and place the coding below on line 25 ..

includes/ templates/ template_default/ common/ tpl_footer.php

<div id="googleWording">Please work</div>

Then save here:
includes/ templates/ your_template/ common/ tpl_footer.php

Now in your stylesheet.css you can add this new declaration to control color, spacing, font, etc...
#googleWording {}

The PHP include() means to include content from the file given in parentheses. What you want to do is either echo your HTML text in PHP, or insert straight HTML before the </div>.
Probably the easiest for you would be like

<p>Your homepage text below main content and above the footer.</p> </div>

How do you want the Google content to appear? Full width at the top of the footer, or within the center column width?

The footer location will give full width, while tpl_index_default.php will give the center column width. Also, the footer location will appear on every page unless you add PHP code to limit it to the homepage.

i want it to appear within the center column width. you can see my page here - bigredworkweardotcom -

i want it below the category box itself, above the word "home" at bottom of page before the footer, but i don't want it to go past the width of that center column. i have flash imbedded in the header and the text next to it is actually just a .jpg because i obviously didn't know how to just type in the text. and then i realized that i'm missing out on giving google a lot of information by not having text on this main page, that's why i'm trying to do the block of text on the bottom, and stuff it with keywords so that google will pick it up.

thanks guys for trying to make it simple for me.

Then /includes/templates/your_template/common/tpl_index_default.php is the file to add it to.

You can make the upper text visible to Google like this:

<center><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="includes/templates/cherry_zen/images/flash/slideshow.swf" width="325" height="197">
<param name="movie" value="includes/templates/cherry_zen/images/flash/slideshow.swf" />
<param name="quality" value="high" />
<param name="BGCOLOR" value="#484f3E" />
<param name="menu" value="false" />
<param name="wmode" value="transparent" />
</object><IMG SRC="http://bigredworkwear.com/includes/templates/cherry_zen/images/green.jpg" ALT="green"></center>
```Remove the orange items and add the red items:

<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="includes/templates/cherry_zen/images/flash/slideshow.swf" width="325" height="197" id="flashSlideshow">

<param name="movie" value="includes/templates/cherry_zen/images/flash/slideshow.swf" /> <param name="quality" value="high" /> <param name="BGCOLOR" value="#484f3E" /> <param name="menu" value="false" /> <param name="wmode" value="transparent" /> </object> <div id="homeTopText">Big Red Workwear proudly distributes etc...</div> ``` Add to your stylesheet

#flashSlideshow {float: left;}
#homeTopText {width: 388px; padding: 0 20px 0 30px;}

StrugglingNovice - I hope you do not mind that I took some liberties with your define_main_page code and modified it to the following (note that I commented out your image for the text and left it in there in the event you wanted to revert back to the image):
Just copy the following lines from below this line:

<center> <div style="float: left"> <object width="325" height="197" data="http://bigredworkwear.com/includes/templates/cherry_zen/images/flash/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"> <param value="includes/templates/cherry_zen/images/flash/slideshow.swf" name="movie"> <param value="high" name="quality"> <param value="#484f3E" name="BGCOLOR"> <param value="false" name="menu"> <param value="transparent" name="wmode"> </object> </div> <div style="float: right"> <div style="font-family: arial; color: #F8F2D8; width: 388px; height: 200px; text-align: left; font-weight: bold;">Big Red Workwear proudly distributes only Red Kap,Hi Visibility and Chef Apparel clothing.<br /><br />We offer competitive pricing, fast shipping, dependable service, and reliable customer service from the most trusted brand names of professional work wear available in the United States.</div> <!-- <img alt="green" src="http://bigredworkwear.com/includes/templates/cherry_zen/images/green.jpg"> --> </div> <div style="clear: both;"> </center>

To just above this line and paste it in the define pages editor.
I hope this helps. And btw, this does not place a footer on the page; rather it takes out the image next to your flash at the top and allows you to place text in its place.

Cheers.

Added: gjh42 beat me to it, but this will still work in the event you do not know how to edit your css files. The style is inline for simplicity, although using the style sheet as used in the example above is really the best route.

thanks vividknowledge and gjh42 - i'm going to rebuilt that flash show tomorrow, as we now are using fed-ex instead of ups and i'm going to reword that text, so i'll file away your information and use it.

i'm still going to put an additional key word stuffed paragraph at the bottom of the page, within the width of the main area -

so far i've had no luck doing the following as gjh42 told me to do -

***The PHP include() means to include content from the file given in parentheses. What you want to do is either echo your HTML text in PHP, or insert straight HTML before the </div>.
Probably the easiest for you would be like

<p>Your homepage text below main content and above the footer.</p>***

I did this and it didn't work, I put it in the root/includes/templates/template_deault/templates - i put the <p>CONTENT</p> right before the /div and it didn't show up. i'm still working with it.

thanks for all the help tonight, you guys are just great!

Are you using Cherry zen template ...

If so, your_template is cherry_zen

yes, i'm using cherry zen. thanks

Post the section of the file where you added your text, with a few lines above and below for context.

If you edited the /template_default/ version of the file and there is a /cherry_zen/ version of the same file, the /template_default/ version will never be used. You have to edit and save the file in your custom template folder.

first i uploaded it to root/includes/templates/template_default/templates and it didn't show up

then i went to root/includes/templates/cherry_zen/common - but there was no index file - so i tried inserting the default file i had edited there anyway, no luck - i even tried renaming it to template_cherry_zen and that didn't work either.

here's what i did - 'i'm showing 4 lines above where i inserted it, actual insertion was on line 88

<?php $show_display_category->MoveNext(); } // !EOF ?> <p>A trusted, proven distributor, our company etc.</p> </div>

I misspoke earlier - the file should go in /includes/templates/cherry_zen/templates/, the exact same location as the /template_default/ version is in.

in cherry_zen templates i have the following files
checkout confirmation
checkout payment default
checkout shipping default
checkout success default
modules attributes
modules main product image
modules product listing
modules products all listing
modules product new listing
product info display
time out default

i have no index_default file in this folder

so i took the index_default file that i edited from my default template file and put it in here, it didn't work.

am i missing an index file in this includes/templates/cherry_zen/templates folder.

i went back into my original cherry_zen files, and in my cherry zen includes/templates folder i see no index file.

Template folders should only hold copies of files that are different from default. If there is no custom version of a file, Zen Cart will use the default version. When you want to edit a default file, always save the edited copy in the same relative location in your custom folder structure.

I went to bed, got up this morning and was able to put in the text on my main page easily. Amazing what a good night's sleep does for the thought process.

What I did was this - I went to the root/includes/templates/cherry_zen/common, and edited the tpl_main_page.php template. I entered my information on line 88, just after <!-- end ContentMainwrapperb -->

I'm posting exactly what I did in case someone else is having the same problem as me.

I have one more tweak with this and it's finished. My text is showing up on every page and I don't know how to enter coding or where exactly to enter the coding so that it shows up on only the main page. If someone could tell me what coding I put to make it show up just on the main page, I would appreciate it.

Thank you so much for all your help last night guys. You are all amazing! I'm a happy camper this morning, so glad to have that hurdle behind me!!! :D

you can view my page at bigredworkweardotcom

You can add a PHP test for $this_is_home_page, but the better solution would be to put the content in tpl_index_default.php as you were doing first.