Getting deeper sections more visible in search results

Kick around some ideas.. what works, what dosent...

[Helpmebe1]

I have a site that goes many sections deep... my actual products are usually 3 or more sections deep into the site.. while I am getting some links hooked up to go directly to each main section from an affiliate site, his PR on most of these pages is only a PR3, so I am not sure how much that is actually going to help. Link text will only say the name of my site as well, theirs nothing I can do about that, this is the way the guy wants to do that so I am stuck with that.. I still get the links though, and he will get a cut of each sale. His site is related to mine as content goes, but his PR isnt over that PR4 mark. He should still send referrals for sales but hoping he also helps boost us up some in the engines.

Curious, I am thinking of making a "mini site map" off the frontpage that links to the main sections of the catalog. Theirs about 90 of these, I am hoping this will help some. I wanted to kick around some ideas and see what people have tried and what works and what dosent work so well.. If anyone has any input, lets kick around some ideas...

CS

[ciml]

The mini sitemap sounds OK, it'll probably help users to find the content as well as engines.

If your PageRank overall is quite low compared with the competition, then you're not likely to bring these categories up to the top in Google for their words. That written, even a small boost should be worthwhile.

[Helpmebe1]

Ciml,
So its worth a try, I suppose?

Well my PR is one below the compeitions on my frontpage.. I have roughly 1000-1200 products on my site that can be searched for so many different ways.. product pages , or I should say highly keyworded main sections or keyword pages are at a PR3 I am defintely in the game.. which some of my carry through.. if I could get them to a PR4, I would be set. The next site which I want to build wont go so deep but this one I dig with alot of rtml coding ive done and just the look and content of it, is extremly please i feel. I just would like to see the main product pages get some more PR and get a boost.. wondering what will work. I am thinking this mini site map that is located just off the main page that links directly to the main section, I have some weak PR pages that will be linking to these pages as well.. when I say weak PR I mean PR3. Not sure what else to try.. any ideas anyone? Cmon all you pros... well some of you anyway..

[ciml]

If your competition haven't managed to put up their product pages with descriptive text and titles, then you have a good chance of beating them with less PageRank in your site.

That's not to say that you will beat them for your favourite search phrase, just that your many entry points may be worth much more. Brett's article [searchengineworld.com] shows where the money is.

[Helpmebe1]

Ciml,
Thanks.. and unfortuntately I am in a competitive field.. everyone needs what I sell sooner or later.. so people do have well put together pages.. their are like 3 biggies though who did it right and rank well.. I am slowly gaining on them but need to pick up the pace sooner then later and would like to build a second site sometime in the near future...

Ive checked out Bretts pages and am gonna hit up the higher pr pages with keywords, which is also level two pages so hopefully that helps some.. wanted to see if their was anything else that could be done to help some besides more links...