SEO Dance

Back in November, Google apparently smacked several blogs and websites for that had paid links. Many lost all of their PR while others reported losing as much as 2. Has Google forgiven those of their past transgressions and have become to restore their lost PageRank?

Many are reporting that their PageRank has returned with the latest Google dance. Apparently it is not full Page Rank it was prior to November, but it’s a start. But is the return of PageRank to some websites a a peace offering from Google or just a fluke?

I doubt Google has changed their stance when it comes to paid links that do not use the nofollow tag. Here are my thoughts. When Google took away PR, that they might have just reset it to zero, so naturally after a few months and a couple of PR updates, those websites will organically gain back PR. I’m not sure if that is their plan or if Google will just reset it back to zero. I guess time will tell.

Apparently the word on the Web is that a Google PageRank update took place last week. Some have reported a jump in their websites PageRank. No change here but it is exciting to hear that another PageRank has happened in a shorter amount of time than the last one.

I’m glad to hear that the PageRank update is happening but sad to see no movement on any of my blogs. Of course with the Google dance it usually lasts a few weeks, so if you haven’t seen any change yet there may still be hope.

There has been much speculation about the recent PageRank loss of several blogs and websites. Several has suggested that the PageRank loss was due to paid links, and it appears they are right as Google posts more information about paid links when it comes to PageRank.

Matt Cutts from Google posts a compelling post about paid links. Paid links that don’t use no follow or use another method to not pass PageRank can cause a search term to be more popular that it naturally is. In his example, he gives a medical example that if someone wants to learn more about a medical condition and the top results are paid links, they won’t find any useful information. Google wants to make sure that those searching for terms find the most relevant and useful information fast and easy.

His analogy might be interesting and tug at the heart strings, but frankly when I have taken information I have learned from the Internet to my doctor I’m quickly given a lesson on you can’t believe everything you read. At it’s core the Internet is entertainment and not necessarily a great source for factual information. I thought the example was in poor taste since it tugs at emotions and not on what Google is really doing when it comes to devaluing very good blogs and websites.

For me personally, Google has their hand in too many virtual cookie jars around the Internet. It would be nice to see a watchdog group do an unbiased PageRank-type system. Sadly, since it would take so many resources, I doubt that will ever happen.

Google isn’t the only website that ranks websites. There is, ofcourse, the Alexa ranking and many others. Technorati ranks blogs as well as several blog directories. IZEA, the new parent company of PayPerPost, has announced RealRank for their bloggers to show an actual rank of blogs within their system. I’m sure there are many others and let’s not forget websites like Sitemeter and StatCounter that show all sorts of information for webmasters to study over for hours. While it’s a small start, one company has taken notice of the recent PageRank shift and has responded to the change with a huge decision.

Some companies use PageRank in calculating their own ranking of websites/blogs. Eatonweb is a well-known and respected blog directory. Earlier this month, they announced on their blog that the will stop using PageRank as a factor in determining the rank of blogs on their network. PageRank will be phased out within the next 12 months. They cited that the recent decision by Google to penalize websites with paid links was one of the reasons as some very good authority websites have received a penalty. Therefore, the PageRank system has been comprised if Google plans to shun certain websites from it.

It will be interesting to see if other ranking websites follow suit. I believe the PageRank has outlived its viability. A number 0-10 reveals very little about how trustworthy or how useful a website actually is.

If more ranking websites lessen their dependence on PageRank, it will be a clear message to Google. But if they actually care is anyone’s guess.

Problogger is reporting confirmation from Google that some of the drops are indeed because of paid links. Some blog network websites have also taken a hit in PR.

I do obsess a lot about PR. I’m not sure why but is most likely because PR is a symbol of just how important a website is to the Internet. Well, in light of recent events, it’s really just how important it is to Google. I guess that’s been the case all along, but I was lulled into thinking that it was really something for the greater benefit of the Internet.

I’m disheartened but yet motivated at the same time by this last hit to PR. I did have two websites that increased in PR. Maybe it’s time to spend less time worrying with PageRank and focus more on breaking off my dependency to Google for search traffic. Next week we’ll take a look at some ideas for doing just that.

No doubt you have heard about the drop in PageRank this week of some very prominent blogs. It’s being speculated that Google is cracking down on those websites that sell paid links without using the nofollow tag on said links. Is Google punishing websites or is this something else entirely?

I’m a firm believer that PageRank will change in the future. When PageRank was developed, the Internet was a much smaller place. Now there are thousands upon thousands of new websites created each month. PageRank, with its simple (at least displayed value) scale of 0 to 10, just doesn’t seem to cover it. It might just be the geek in me that would love to see a more complex number.

So just what is happening with PageRank? I don’t know. It could be the Google dance with this influx being ironed out over the next few days. Or it could be Google is making good on their promise that paid links will hurt a websites’ PR. Time will tell I guess. That and official word from Google.

I have to admit that I’m obsessed with PageRank. I wish I wasn’t and didn’t care what my PR was. Every time one of my websites has a lower or higher PR, it renews this hobby of mine to learn all I can about PageRank. The bad news is my websites have only moved in PR once or twice, so I really haven’t done an extensive amount of research on PageRank.

This morning my PR 4 was down to a PR 3. It was a devastating blow. How can this happen? This is the same website that I did very little with and was a PR 5 just over a year ago. What is different and what has happened to my PageRank? And while I’m asking questions, just what is PageRank used for?

I have very few answers for my questions but this is what I have learned. PageRank is a number from 0 to 10 with 10 being the best possible PageRank value. Top websites are given a 10 and I believe set the bar for other websites. PageRank is more like a range that your website falls into. I think this explains the ups and downs of my website. As websites surpass me, they bump down my PR.

What is PageRank good for? It is one of several factors Google uses to determine search engine results. How important is it? Only Google knows if it’s a small part of a big part. Luckily my search engine traffic seems to be about the same as usual, so at least my PR drop is not negatively affecting that.

So, PR is just one of several factors that goes into search engine page results. It’s just a number. It’s a number I would love to see higher but for now my keyword search results are still on the radar, and that is the most important thing of all.