What is Google PageRank™
How much stock should you put into it?

I hear it every time Google updates their PR data:

"My Page Rank dropped! I was a 7 now I am a 5!"

After hearing this moaning for three consecutive updates - I decided to provide some enlightenment. First, let me give you a little background.

Here is the description directly from Google:

PageRank Explained
PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves "important" weigh more heavily and help to make other pages "important."

Important, high-quality sites receive a higher PageRank, which Google remembers each time it conducts a search. Of course, important pages mean nothing to you if they don't match your query. So, Google combines PageRank with sophisticated text-matching techniques to find pages that are both important and relevant to your search. Google goes far beyond the number of times a term appears on a page and examines all aspects of the page's content (and the content of the pages linking to it) to determine if it's a good match for your query.

Ok, that was a lot to read, but you now get the gist of what PageRank is. Now, how important is it in your rankings? Not as much as you think.

Sure, it will tell you that the site has achieved a "status" that the Googlebot has determined. But, does this "status" equate to a higher ranking in the Search Engine itself, or provide more traffic? Not necessarily.

I have seen sites with a PR ranking of 3, in #1 positions, and others with a PR of 8, not even on the first page.

In my opinion, if your site is Optimized and Marketed properly - then your traffic, sales and Search Engine ranking will reflect this.

In other words - don't sweat the little green bar!

About The Author
Suzanne Fyhrie owns and operates OneWay Advertising and Design. She specializes in marketing and graphic design.

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