Moving internal pages up in the rank

If I want internal pages to move

[jjdesigns4u]

If I want to get some of my internal product pages [pages right off the root] to get better listings should get some incoming links to those pages from other quality sites?

I have all of my link exchanges going to the home page. So, should I start directing some to the other pages I want to see move up in ther serps.

Thanks :)

[egomaniac]

Hi jjdesigns4u,

To get any page to rank better use these three strategies:
1) Get more keyword text links linking to your page,
2) Increase the PageRank of your page,
3) Make sure the keyword is present on the page in all the "right" places.

It doesn't matter whether a page is an "internal" page or a home page. Google is blind to the location within a site's structure.

For #1 , make sure that you are interlinking pages within your site with the right keywords in your link text.

For #2, direct your internal PageRank where you most need it. Don't waste it on things link "contact us" pages. Your home page has the most PR right now. You can flow that PR to your target product pages through keyword text links. Think of each page as bucket of water. Each link off of the page is like a hole in the bucket. If there are 4 holes in the bucket, the water pressure will be divided by 4 among the holes. If you plug 2 of those 4 holes, then there will be twice as much water pressure going through 2 open holes. Links off of a page work the same way. The fewer links off of a page, the more PR you pass through each link. In this way, you can direct your PR around your site to where it is most needed.

#3 should be obvious - there is a wealth of info here at WebmasterWorld about this.

You can definitely get links from other sites to point to your internal pages, and that will also boost your ranking of those pages. There is nothing magic though about whether they are from outside the site or inside the site. What matters is the keyword in the link text, and the amount of PR flowing through that link to your target page. You may find that some people will be unwilling to link to anything other than your home page (not all, only some). I do have some links from other sites to internal pages of my site. But I have made the most of my own site's interlinking so that my internal pages rank as well as my home pages.

[BigDave]

One thing I have done on my review site, is to make pages specifically for manufacturers to link to. These pages just have links to their products that we have reviewed.

The PR does not go directly to their reviews, but it is only one level removed, and the manufacturers love them. They boost the content pages without giving a big boost to the home page, which is fine with me. I would rather have 2000 PR4 content pages than worrying about getting my home page up to PR8.

[jjdesigns4u]

egomaniac

Thanks for the view from outside the circle. That is one of the best analogies I read.

Thanks!

[HarryM]

Page rank flow is a complex issue which I am still struggling with, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

I believe another way to raise PR for a specific page is to increase the number of internal links to that page. The ultimate is to include it an a nav bar so that every page links to it.

[instand1]

HarryM: Egomanic has already answered your question:

direct your internal PageRank where you most need it

A navigational bar (e.g. a menue) with text links containing the most important keywords (be sure that the links are not graphic links or otherwise overlooked by spiders) can be a good solution, if its links are directed to the pages where PageRank is most needed.

[pshea]

I have been on a four month tear to develop links to an internal page and am having good success.
Some advice I can offer:

Find the link you want

Place the link on a page and title that page with the keyword(s) you are targeting

Email the site and announce you have placed a link and send the link location. In this email, some wording like, 'Thanks, we'd appreciate it if you let us know where to find our link should you choose to reciprocate.'

Include the specific text for your desired return link

Leave the link on your site for four months

When you get someone who agrees to link with you:

Check the link to make sure they included the link the way you wanted it. This is important. Some webmasters will just throw up a link to your home page: that defeats the purpose of this campaign.

Create some sort of graphic (I use a small checkmark) and when you do get a link, put a checkmark next to the link on your own page so you know they have reciprocated to you

Create a page on your own site somewhere else that includes the actual location of the reciprocal links and hyperlink them. This will make it easier for you six months down the road when you want to check on your links.

Remember I recommended leaving the link up for four months? After that time, if they haven't responded, i.e., they don't have a "checkmark", delete 'em and keep moving.

Others were using this "Link First" technique when approaching me. I found myself being responsive to it. So I employed it and am pleased with the results.

Disciplined record keeping is a must.

Good luck!