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Live Support
In this section you'll find
answers to some of the most common questions asked
about RankSense. Remember that a great way to
learn about all of RankSense's tools is to watch
our Tutorials. To see step-by-step
instructions for setting up your first web site
project in RankSense see our guide for Getting
Started with your first project.
Need some friendly help?
Jump to the section you are looking for:
General
Questions
Q: Can I work on multiple sites at one
time?
A: Yes, RankSense users
can optimize multiple sites concurrently.
Q: Can I use RankSense to optimize a blog?
A: Yes! RankSense can help you
optimize your blog. We support a variety of blogs including those created in created
in Blogger, WordPress, LiveSpaces, TypePad, Square Space, Blog.com, LiveJournal and others.
Q: What's the difference between Smart mode and
Classic mode?
A: The Smart Mode is designed to guide users through the SEO process with a step-by-step wizard. Classic mode allows the user to manually operate RankSense to quickly and easily access specific SEO tools. We recommend new RankSense customers begin with the Smart Mode to become familiar with the interface.
You can switch between modes at any time by simply clicking
on the button at the top-right of the Tasks screen.
Installation
and Getting Started 
Q: What are the minimum system requirements
to run RankSense?
A: To run RankSense, you need:
Microsoft Windows Vista/XP/Windows 2000/2003 Server
256 MB RAM or as required by OS
25 MB of available hard disk space for installation
Pentium 4 or equivalent recommended
An active Internet connection
* Please note that RankSense
will not run on Windows Vista 64-bit, Windows
XP 64-bit, Windows NT, 95/98 or ME operating
systems.
Q: Does RankSense work on a Mac?
A: Not yet. We are working on a Mac friendly RankSense version. Stay tuned for details.
Q: RankSense keeps asking me for a license. Where do I get a license?
A: After your sign up you will receive
an e-mail with your RankSense license key. If you
did not receive the e-mail or are having trouble
please e-mail us at support@ranksense.com
Q: I don't know where to find the information
RankSense is asking for when I set up a new web
site. Any ideas?
A: Don't panic. RankSense is
designed to work with all sorts of web sites and
blogs. Your first step should be to read our Getting Started guide. If
you don't know your FTP info or where (or what)
your log files are, you may need to ask your web
hosting provider. Still stuck? E-mail us.
Q: How do I know if I have log
files?
A: Most web hosting providers
allow you to keep track of basic visitor information
using log files stored in a directory on their
server, usually accessible by FTP. If you are
unsure if (or where) you have log files, contact
your web hosting provider. In some cases, logs
need to be "turned on" in your web hosting control
panel. If your site doesn't have traditional
log files, RankSense can also help you install virtual log files.
Q: Which kinds of log files are supported?
A: RankSense supports most types
of log files, including zip and gzip compressed
formats. If you're having trouble with your log
files, let us know.
Q: Okay, I set up my first site. Now what?
A: RankSense is designed to walk
you through the tasks necessary to optimize your
web site. Just click on a task to begin. Additional
tasks become available as you complete the requisite
steps. You can also check out the RankSense Tutorials.
Q: What is the difference between
on-page and off-page optimization?
A: RankSense will help you optimize
your site both on and off the page. On-page optimization has to do with using the right keywords in all
the right places on your web page: in the text,
the titles, the meta data. It also means using
them in the right way. You can use RankSense's
built-in on-page editor to optimize your pages
for keywords on the fly. Off-page optimization has to do with building links to your site from
other web sites. Ideally, these should be authoritative
sites in the same niche as the keywords you are
aiming for. As a RankSense user,
you can use the Link Analysis and Link Text tools
to study how sites link to yours, and how they
link to your most successful competitors.
Troubleshooting
Q: Why can't I access all the tasks
in Smart mode? Some of the tools are grayed out.
A: Smart mode walks you through
all the steps necessary to optimize your site.
It learns from the information you enter to
help you complete later tasks. If you can't
click on a particular task, it is likely that
you still have prerequisite tasks to complete.
Make sure that you have a green checkmark next
to all the accessible tasks first. If you want
access to a specific tool, try switching to Classic
Mode.
Q: Why don't I see any results in Discover Rankings?
A: The Discover Rankings tool
relies on your log files to learn about visitors
coming to your site. If the task completes successfully
but you don't see any results, it's likely that
there isn't enough information. Try using the
log files filter and date range to extend your
search. If you've just recently turned on logs
or installed RankSense's virtual logs, try back
at a later time when more data is available.
Q: How do I use the log files filter
in Discover Rankings and Search Engine Coverage?
A: RankSense searches for log
files in the directory that you specified when
you set up your web site. (If you want to change
the directory, select "Manage Website" from the
File menu. Select your web site and click on the
Publishing tab.) The log files filter lets you
further specify which log files RankSense will
use for the task. You can use wildcards (*) and
separators ( , ; | ) to specify multiple file
names. For example, if my log files are all named:
mysite-log-Month-Year.gzip I might use the filter:
mysite-log*2007.gzip to filter all the logs from
2007.
Q: How do I select different landing pages?
A: To select new landing pages,
go to "Manage Websites" in the File menu. Click
on the Landing Pages tab. Don't forget to save
your changes.
Q: How can I delete a web site project from RankSense?
A: To remove a web site from
your projects, select "Manage Websites" from the
File menu. Click on the trashcan icon next to
the web site you want to remove.
SEO
Terminology
Q: What are log files?
A: Most web hosting providers
allow you to keep track of basic visitor information,
including where users are coming from and what
pages they visited on your site. These statistics
are stored in log files, usually organized by
month. RankSense uses your site's logs to find
out relevant information about rankings in major
search engines and to help you better optimize
your keywords. If you are unsure if (or where)
you have log files, contact your web hosting provider.
In some cases, logs need to be "turned on" in
your web hosting control panel. Remember, if your
site doesn't have traditional log files, RankSense
can also help you install virtual log files.
Q: What is a landing page?
A: A landing page is the page
that visitors first see when coming to your
site, either by typing in the URL, or via a
link from a search engine or other web site.
Generally, landing pages are the primary pages
of your site or blog: your home page (/index.html,
default.htm, etc.) and other content-rich destination
pages.
Q: What is a sitemap?
A: A sitemap file is like an
inventory list or map of all the pages on your
web site. Search engines use this "map" to help
speed up the discovery of your pages by their
crawlers. It also lets you tell search engines
relevant information about your pages (how often
you update them, which ones are more important,
etc.). Sitemaps are particularly helpful if your
site has dynamic content-pages that aren't easily
discovered by following links, or if your site
is new and has only few links to it.
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