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Information just about GoogleGoogle Page Rating - important or just another number?
by:
Richard Grady
Copyright 2004 Richard Grady
In my last account I wrote just about how your websites Alexa rank is not really that important to the success of your online business. In this issue, I want to look at another popular data point
- Google Page Rating - and ask a similar question - is it that important?
First a quick summary
as to what the Google Page Rating really is...
Google Page Rating (or PR as it is often referred to as) is just an indication of the number of websites that link to a specific website. It as well attempts to indicate the quality of those links. PR ranges from 0 to 10 (with 10 being the 'best' PR and 0 being the 'worst'). The brobdingnagian majority of small business websites wish commonly find they have a PR of between 0 and 5.
To calculate a particular sites PR, Google uses a fairly complex
algorithmic program based on the number of web links that it is aware of that link to the site in question. This algorithmic program wish as well take into account the PR of the page that is providing the link, thus a link from a web page that has a PR of 7 wish be considered more valuable than a link from a page with a PR of 4.
Because of the way in which links from higher PR-ranked sites are considered more important, many a folk are choosing to buy links from websites with high PR's just so that they can increase their own PR. I have seen sites commerce a simple text link on their house page for over $700 a month strictly
based on the fact that they have a PR of 7 or above. This may seem like a lot of money but once
you consider that the website owners that are purchase
these links often have websites that are in no way relevant to the content of the site linking to them, it is dead ridiculous.
Take this example, let's say you have a website just about health and fitness and you buy a link for $500 a month from a random website because it has a PR of 7. This random website has no connectedness to your health and fitness site so what is going to happen? Well, your own PR may increase as a result of the link. You may get a bit of extra traffic but probably not more since folk don't click on links that that they are not interested in. You wish by all odds be $500 poorer at the end of the month!
Instead, why not spend the $500 on pay-per-click advertising and benefit from several quality, targeted traffic?
Of course, there is a bit more to it than that and the reason that most folk want to increase their PR is because Google takes this data point
into account once
deciding wherever
a website wish be displayed in their search results. Many a folk assume that a high PR mechanically
equals a high search engine placement for their chosen keywords. Not so....
PR is just one of over 100 several factors that Google takes into account once
deciding wherever
your website wish feature (and these factors and the main algorithmic program change on a really regular basis). It is dead possible for a website with a PR of 5 to get a higher ranking than a PR 7 site if it has better content or is more relevant for the search term in question.
Remember that connectedness is all important with Google and a link from a website that is not relevant to your own site wish be considered far less important than a relevant one (which does purchase
links from random sites strictly
because they have a high PR even as more crazy).
I have see several rumours late that Google haven't updated PR's for a couple of months and they are considering phasing PR out or modifying it in several way. This is pure speculation but it wouldn't surprise me in the least. PR is easily manipulated (for example by purchase
links as delineate above) and Google doesn't like to have their calculations or search results manipulated. It stands to reason that they wish be looking at route of preventing this.
So, in summary, is Google Page Rating important to your business?
Well, it is a good indicator of how many a different sites link to yours and how important Google considers your site to be BUT I in person
don't place too more importance on this data point
and I for certain won't be paying out for a link from a website just because it has a high PR.
As I aforementioned above, Google changes it's rules on a regular basis and I see little point in chasing a particular PR on the basis that it power get you higher search engine rankings. If Google do decide to do away with PR, all your activity wish have been for nothing.
Instead, concentrate on building quality, relevant links from sites that are connected in several way to your own site content. This wish ensure that any traffic you obtain via these links wish at least have an interest in your site. Building links on this basis wish mechanically
increase your PR over time (without the need to pay out for overpriced, extraneous links). If you do things this way and Google does scrap the PR indicator, it shouldn't affect you in any way and the links you have in place wish continue to benefit you.
Remember, in the same way that a low Alexa rank doesn't guarantee traffic or sales, neither does a high PR. Sure a high PR is a 'nice to have' but lots of traffic and high sales is even as nicer :-)
Just just about the author:
Richard Grady has been serving folk earn online since 1998. Find out more just about Richard at: http://www.thetraderonline.comFree wholesale search engines: UK- http://www.wholesale118.co.ukand US http://www.thewholesaletrader.com
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