Jun
17SoftTester Offsite Optimisation
Tags : SEO, To Do Posted in: Search Engine Optimisation
So far we’ve made a number of posts about on-page optimisation improvements to try out on SoftTester. We also need to discuss off-page optimisation factors.
I did a check on the number of backlinks to SoftTester. It doesn’t really have that many and a few of them didn’t seem to exist anymore - maybe the sites have expired recently. I think you need to encourage people to link to you more.
At the moment you’ve got an Authors page and a Link To Us page. Perhaps these should be combined so that someone submitting shareware is asked to link back. It’s so long now since I submitted my program that I can’t remember whether users are lead to the link to us page after completing a submission.
The other thing I’d say is look at getting a better looking graphic for people to stick on their websites in order to link back. I’ve always liked the idea of awards - 4 star, 5 star. If the shareware site award graphic is really nice, in the past I’ve placed them on my site for two main purposes:-
- It’s a nice, professional graphic I can use for free to make my site better looking!
- It’s an award - and then I can say “award-winning software package” in my website copy.
If you look at my site - www.sliqtools.co.uk/invoice-software.aspx - you can see one I really like from Download Pipe. My awards page also includes others that look fairly good. In the end though it comes down to personal preference but a new graphic should only cost $20 or $30 (if you know who to ask) and might make a big difference over time.
by ML
Yes indeed.
When I first had the idea about setting up a download site, I knew there were lots of other sites out there. So I thought that if I setup a site aimed at software testing and I helped authors to meet and test each others software, this would work. Being a Soft Tester member was supposed to give customers confidence that the software had been tested. I even setup a reviews section where two authors had to review each others software, submit the review and gain good content and links.
However it never took off and I abandoned the idea. So I’m left with a site called something which is never realised
In the email sent to new authors / programs, I do ask people to link to the site / saying their a soft tester member, using the code on the link to us page.
I agree 110% with what you say about 5 stars graphic, I have been thinking this for some time. Other sites tend to always give out 5 star links for everything, I think. Also virus free etc. I think the page with the link code should still show, 4 stars, 3,2,1 etc.
But something along those lines would be great and I do know someone who could do one for me.
However, it makes sense to have something which realises the software testing somehow, what do you think?
Although downloading and scanning software for virus sounds great, it woul d be very time consuming.
So what would you like to see in a graphic?
The kind of graphics I like are a bit like medals - like the Download Pipe one I mention in the post.
Virus-free logos I’ve never been keen on in terms of putting them on my site. Of course my software is virus free!
I don’t think the mutual-testing angle is a goer really - sorry! I guess history has proved it’s unlikely to work.
However, listing programs in the main category pages, i.e. in a more visible location - in return for a link from the author’s site might work. As might doing so for a small fee - say a dollar a month or so.
If you’re thinking along the lines of a fresh look for SoftTester I think this could be a big winner. Some other sites look a bit more swish these days.
… and of course you’ve always got the reviewing in the blog angle to fall back on in order to get you links …
With a new graphic you could email authors who are already listing programs and give them a new award. At the same time you could promote a new service of listing in category pages.
Sounds good.
Lots of things to do…
Award images…
We’ll have to put together a draft what I’ll ask Boris to do.
Maybe you could give me some of the example urls of awards you like and what you don’t then we can compare notes. ?
If you look at http://www.sliqtools.co.uk/awards.aspx you’ll see the ones I like.
There also the one on http://www.sliqtools.co.uk/invoice-software.aspx.
No surprise - they are either nofollow or blocked by robots.txt retention!
Ok, I’ve emailed Boris, it might take a few days for him to get back to me.