What is PageRank
PageRank is one of the important factors that determine Search Engine Results Page (SERP). It is a numerical value assigned by Google that shows the importance of a web page. When one page links to another, it is actually casting a vote for the other page. It goes to say that a page with more relevant inbound links enjoys a higher page rank. For simplicity sake, PageRank is referred to PR in this article.
Applying the Mathematical Concept of PageRank
Google calculates the PR of a web page using this equation:
PR(A)=(1-d) + d[PR(t1)/C(t1) +...+ PR(tn)/C(tn)]
t1...tn are pages linking to Page A
C is the number of outbound links of the linking page
d is a damping factor set at 0.85
This is the original equation Google published when it developed PR. Whether Google uses a variation of it, only God knows. This equation, though, is essential to an understanding of PR.
Dont be scared by the above equation. For a fuller explanation of this equation with working examples read The Google Page Rank Algorithm and How it Works by Ian Rogers.
The purpose of this present article is to apply the Mathematical concept of PR to your web page ranking strategy. Yes, you can organize your linking strategy to achieve high PR for your important web pages.
Inbound Linking Strategy
Many people assume that the Toolbar PR values of PR1 to PR10 are set on a logarithmic scale. Nobody outside Google knows for sure, but there is a very good reason for this assumption. That being the case, moving from a lower page rank to the next higher one gets increasingly difficult. So, moving from PR3 to PR4 is more difficult compared to moving from PR1 to PR2. For illustration refer to the table below...
Toolbar PageRank (log base 10....Real PageRank
0...................................0 - 10
1.................................100 - 1,000
2...............................1,000 - 10,000
3..............................10,000 - 100,000
4.................................and so on...
*This illustration assumes a log base of 10.
In a nutshell, an inbound page link with a PR8 is worth more than one with PR4. The number of outbound links of the incoming page link becomes immaterial. Inbound links with high PRs that are relevant to your website will boost your web page ranking significantly.
The practice in the past was to buy inbound links with high PR to boost your web page PR. However, Google in recent times has clamped down this practice. A new web page with lots of high PR inbound links will be viewed with suspicion. Buying incoming links has become a thing of the past. The rock solid ways to gather inbound links are through...
a. Directories - Getting listed in quality directories like DMOZ or Yahoo can help boost your page rank.
b. Building a great content site that others want to link with.
Internal Linking Strategy
Based on the equation that Google uses to calculate PR, adding new pages has the effect of improving the overall PR of a website. If your organize your internal links carefully, you can channel the PR of your new pages to the important pages of your website.
The strategy is to grow your website steadily by adding new pages, and link them to your important pages. Avoid pages that are identical eg. affiliate programs web pages. You will be accused of spamming by Google, and run the risk of having your web pages and possibly your entire website penalized. Add new pages that are rich in content, and relevant to your website. Content is king.
However, new pages have to be indexed by Google before they can channel their PR to other pages. Google only indexes pages that have one or more pages on the web linked to them. Organize your internal linking carefully.
Outbound Linking Strategy
You will lose page rank with outbound links. So it is good practice to ask for reciprocal links, and to have outbound links from a page with the lowest PR. Have the anchor text of the incoming links centered on your keywords or similar keywords. You also need to vary the text of your inbound links to make them look natural to Google.
Choose your link exchange partners carefully. Avoid link farms. Period.
Google enjoys about 36 percent of web traffic on the World Wide Web. In absolute terms, this represents a significant figure. As long as PR is one of the important factors Google uses to determine Search Engine Result Pages, it is prudence to understand how PR works and strategize your linking accordingly. You dont need to crack your head to fully understand PR. All you need is to simply apply the practical concepts delineated in this article to your linking strategy, and a good dose of patience. For Google places emphasis on the age of your links, your domain, and your web pages.
Its a fools game to try to beat Google. Stick to rock solid principles when building your link structure, and you wont have to worry when the next Google dance comes along. Your web pages will still be standing after the dust has settled.
Gerrick W
mailto:gw@1stinternetmarketingsolution.com
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Search engine optimization is vital to the success of a websitebut unfortunately, it is a very confusing thing for new websiteowners. Many feel like they can strike out on their own withoutusing professional search engine optimization services whileothers feel that search engine optimization is best left to theexperts. While search engine optimization is not easy andtechniques for getting top-ranking are ever changing, an ongoingcommitment to learning about search engine optimization will saveyou time and money as well as improving the performance of yourwebsite.
Achieving top ranking in the search engines through effectivesearch engine optimization is like free advertising. It is themost logical way to drive loads of traffic to your website.Traffic combined with good sales copy and a quick loading websiteconverts browsers to buyers and can skyrocket your sales.
The majority of people that visit a website find the website inthe search engines. Moreover, they usually dont browse past thefirst two pages in the search results. So using search engineoptimization to get top-ranking in the major search engines isvastly important if you desire the amazing amounts of trafficthat the search engines can direct to your website.
A major misconception about search engine optimization is thatthe alternative to it is to buy your way to the top of the searchengines through pay-per-click advertising. There are somedefinite advantages to pay-per-click advertising because it iseasier to achieve and maintain a top position in the searchengines. Also, with pay-per-click advertising you only pay forclick-throughs and you can get listed quickly. But, it can becostly if you fail to manage your pay-per-click campaignsaggressively and consistently.
The biggest mistake that website operators make in using the pay-per-click search engine services over search engine optimizationis not considering the value of each website visitor. Because youare paying for every click to your website it is vital that yourmaximum bid for the keyword does not exceed the value of theclick. Without adequate attention to that factor, your pay-per-click advertising costs can eat up your precious advertisingfunds rather quickly.
For search engine optimization to work and to work consistently,your website has to be submitted to the search engines initiallyand resubmitted periodically. You need to monitor theeffectiveness of your search engine optimization and maintain it.This is necessary because the search engine indexing rules changefrequently and such changes can cause your site to move down inranking without ongoing search engine optimization efforts.
This is an important consideration if you choose to use a searchengine optimization company rather than doing your own searchengine optimization. Some offer one time services while othersoffer ongoing maintenance. Unless you learn to retain your searchengine position on your own through continued search engineoptimization, you will need ongoing monitoring and maintenanceservices.
Search engines use algorithms to rank websites. Algorithms aresimply their rules for determining relevance of a websitescontent to a browsers search. Because the search enginespurpose is to serve those looking for information, theiralgorithms are closely held trade secrets and arent madeavailable to those aiming at search engine optimization. This iswhat complicates the process of search engine optimization asmuch of it must be accomplished through trial and error.
There are a couple of things that seem to remain consistent insearch engine optimization techniques. Those are the use ofkeywords and keyword phrases and obtaining link popularity withrelevant links coming into your website. The main advantage ofsearch engine optimization, naturally, is that having a top-ranked site in the major search engines is effective, freeadvertising. The disadvantages are that it may take several weeksafter you submit your site for the search engines to index it andongoing maintenance is required to ensure that your search engineoptimization efforts achieve the results you desire.
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