Position of Page Links

what path does the google spider crawl?

[IONWeb]

I'm not sure what the proper category is to put this so I'll give a little background and the mods can move it if necessary. I have a fairly new site (about 45 days old). Until a few weeks ago, 20 pages from the site were listed in google with descriptions. Now, only the index page (PR4) is listed with a description. The other pages (PR0) are still listed in google, but no descriptions. I understand it takes a PR4 to "count" but I wonder why the PR of the index page is not distributed amongst the other pages.

I am using CSS-P for layout and have the ability to "move around" the code if needed. Right now the <div> order is this:

Main navigation... with absolute links
Content............. with absolute text links at the end (same links as main nav)
Sub-menu.......... with absolute links
Other misc divs

All main pages are cross-linked via nav menu and content menu. Does anyone see a problem with this order or should I move the content <div> to the top. My only concern here is that if I move the nav <div> below the content <div>, the same links will be too close together.

My main question is with regards to the optimal placement of links vs. content. The secondary question is why PR does not spread across the other pages if they are all linked with each other. If I have made any sense here whatsoever, please offer comments or ask for clarification and I will try again - it is so much easier to look at the code than to write a picture :)

Thanks all,
~MC

[karmov]

Putting your content first and your links at the bottom is the trend for search engines and usability. People using screenreaders will hear all of your content, then the menu options to move on. And your content will be up high for the robots to grab first making it more relevant than if it were further down the page.

I don't really have an answer for your second question unfortunately. It could be a number of things. There's a 90 new site sandbox theory that's goign around... Haven't been following the details, that might be it. Penalty perhaps... Hard to say.

[IONWeb]

Thanks for the input Karmov ;)

I agree with you on the content... the only question I had about it with relation to the "layer order" is back to back links. Maybe is better to explain this way (since we can not list URL's here)

<content div>
blah, blah, blah, blah
Then text links at end of content layer...
<a href="blah.html">Blah Policy</a>, etc....
</content>

<navigation div>
<a href="blah.html">Blah Policy</a>, etc....
</navigation div>

See what I mean? Identical links following each other even though in separate navs? Does that present a problem at all? Does it confuse the bots?