Posts Tagged ‘PR’

Not many weeks previously, WebProNews ran a feature concerning Google deleting PageRank from Webmaster Tools. Susan Moskwa, a Webmaster Trends Analyst at the top search engine said, “We’ve been telling people for a long time they shouldn’t focus on PageRank so much; many site owners seem to think it’s the most important metric for them to track, which is simply not true,” she pointed out. “We removed it because we felt it was silly to tell people not to think about it, but then to show them the data, implying that they should look for it.” As it stands now, PageRank is removed from Google WebMaster Tools  and only appears in the Google Toolbar.

I’m not sure why Google recommends that we must not be obsessed on the figures reflected in PageRank yet it is apparent to every single one that nearly everyone of us lean on these numbers when gauging the  results of our search engine optimization and marketing strategies and given that most of us acknowledge that a high PR results in added popularity for a site then, Page Rank should be given some significance when we evaluate our efforts.

Titus Hoskins, a Search Engine Marketer and author of ‘Does Google Page Rank Count Anymore?’ disclosed in his article that, “For years, Google has been downplaying the importance of Page Rank and states that it’s only one of about 200 ranking factors which determine how Google ranks its index for keywords”, emphasized the results of  obtaining high PR ratings on  web  businesses, and I  feel that  a majority of  what he mentioned  were insightful, to say the least.

Titus Hoskins talked about the result of a better page rank saying that,  “Obtaining a high PR7 or PR8 simply means more business and revenues. Placed against a PR1 site, a PR8 will win more respect in the eyes of potential clients and can produce enormous profits for the site owner.”

So where does this potential client respect emanate from? It comes from their respect of Google indeed. Titus Hoskins discussed the  credibility and brand recognition Google has by saying, “Google has established an unmatched credibility and brand recognition in the eyes of potential customers visiting your site. Web users trust Google for guidance and direction”, and as an internet marketer, Hoskins is astounded by the way Google influences the cyber community. Concerning this he stated, “I am completely amazed each day at the marketing power Google now commands with web surfers and with the general population.” Hoskins added, “Google is the king of online search and no other search engine even comes close to Google.”

I translate that to signify that if Google, gives an online business a high PR, then  expect Google’s influence to have a positive effect on  how many people purchase from that site. So how can we stop these  businesses from assigning such a big to Google PageRank figures?

“Regardless of what Google wants to happen,” wrote Hoskins, “PageRank is still extremely important to anyone marketing on the web, especially if you’re selling SEO services or operating a web business.” In closing, he summarizes people’s assessment of PageRank as a marketing tool that,  “still wields tremendous influence and power” and  by and large,  this conception  has  remained true up until  recently. “By default, PageRank is Google’s opinion of your site,” Hoskins stressed. “Web users can count (at least to 10) and if Google believes people are still not counting when it comes to PageRank, then they are fully mistaken.”

I think that contrary to what Google has said I am still of the opinion that there is some benefits to be obtained from Google’s PageRank feature. I agree with the authors quoted above, and intend to continue to use Google’s PageRank in my evaluation of my own search engine optimization efforts as well as other people’s.

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