Some simple advice requested

[mnemtsas]

Hi All,

Been lurking around here when I can and have worked my way through the SEO tutorial. Reading some previous posts I see I need to ask some specific questions. For now I'll settle for one specific question (well two kinda :-) ).

Here's my web site http://www.timesheetsmts.com . I write and sell project based timesheet shareware. The page has a PR5 with the two key information pages within having PR4 (they seem to oscillate between 4 and 5). I've decided that effort put into getting more visitors is the best thing I can do at the moment as it is a simple numbers game. 40% of my visitors download something, 2-3% of those buy. So double the relevant visitors, double the sales (sounds easy huh :p ?). I've verified this as in the last 6 months my daily visitors have tripled, as have my sales.

OK here's the questions

1. What are a few specific things I can do to try to get a solid PR5 for my key information pages, and perhaps a PR6 for the front page.

2. How can I increase my google position for the key word phrase "timesheet software". Currently I'm about no. 50. I'd quite like to be 3 or 4 like I am for "free timesheet software". No miracles expected just a couple of tips would be nice.

Thanks in advance,

Mark

Moving Target Software
http://www.timesheetsmts.com

[GByte]

Hi Mark, welcome to the seo guy forums

The answer to both of your questions basically is backlinks (incoming links to your pages) and the text that is used to link to you. As you probably know backlinks are what has given you your PR5 now.

Checking your current backlinks most have the link text as "Moving Target Software" thus giving your pages votes for that particular phrase. To give you an example if you search on google for "target software" without quotes, you are in 4th position out of 8,470,000 pages. Now although this, i should imagine, is not a highly for searched term it does show what influence the text that is used to link to you has.

So to better your positions it would be benificial for you to change some of those links to be "timesheet software" or obtain some new incoming links with that phrase.

To help your internal pages gain more PR, you could also try getting some links to internal pages too with relevant keywords in those links for those pages.

Internal links also play a factor in the same way. So I would maybe suggest that where you currently have "products" pointing to your hompage, change it something like "timesheet software products" or just "timesheet software" which would be better.

Also just another note, when linking to your homepage, link directly to http://www.timesheetsmts.com rather than index.html this will help with your own PR passing back to your domain rather than the index.html page as they are treated seperatly.

Hope this helps, if I have missed anything someone else will jump in I am sure. best of luck

[mnemtsas]

Thanks Gavin, a good place to start. Hmmm can I think of anything to take advantage of the high rannking for target software? :p

Mark

[jocelyn]

[QUOTE=mnemtsas]1. What are a few specific things I can do to try to get a solid PR5 for my key information pages, and perhaps a PR6 for the front page.
[/QUOTE]
Gbyte is right, good recommendations.

If you need to boost a page PR you have to give more internal links to it and less to other.
For example a contact page is usually useless for rankings but good for visitors.
You may put less pages with the link to the contact page or use Javascript to hide the link.
I did this to keep my home to PR5 (vital) and replaced the Javascript links with text links as my site filled with PR.
I don't use the java thing anymore except on my links pages to give the visitor the good site link, but prevent the webmaster that refused the link exchange to get PR.

[mnemtsas]

Hmmm OK, let me see if I'm understanding this correctly. To boost PR I should structure the internal linking so that I have normal HTML links to the pages I want to boost. For pages I dont want to boost remove these links to a .js file so that the spiders miss those links? Is this correct?

I have one problem with this, how does the spider index the pages that are only linked with .js links?

Cheers,

Mark

[jocelyn]

[QUOTE=mnemtsas]I have one problem with this, how does the spider index the pages that are only linked with .js links?

Cheers,

Mark[/QUOTE]
This is correct... js for low interest pages to focus PR with text links to the good pages.

You sitemap should have a text link on your home page and have only text links to all your pages. This will get them indexed.

[mnemtsas]

Ahhh OK I understand now. Done and done! Thanks.

Mark

[seo guy]

Hey I have a software client that needs backlinks :-) I think you should trade SEO Guy some onpage SEO advise for a backlink to his client from your site... O DOH! Im SEO Guy PM me hehe

[mnemtsas]

You have mailllllll!