Google PageRank
Google has developed a method known as PageRank to assess the relevance of a website. In other words, it mimics exactly the voting system that is used in many other contexts. Whenever one webpage links to another webpage, it scores a vote of confidence for that other page. A page that has no reference from other pages gets no votes, which just implies that it cannot get affirmative votes, but this means that it was voted negative when in the real sense it was not.
How is PageRank Used?
Google uses a number of factors in order to determine the relevance and importance of the sites in terms of search rank, and one of them is PageRank. What it does is important but it is only a small segment of a much greater structure. Other considerations include:
- Quality of the content
- Relevance of keywords for the content
- Interaction of users with the site
- How well the page is arranged
In Toolbar PageRank, we come across the basic concept of the PageRank of any website. Even though the status bar shows PageRank in simplified form, enormous calculations are involved in arriving at these results.
Toolbar PageRank
The toolbar displays PageRank in simplified terms, but the actual calculation involves a more intricate process. Below is a rough interpretation of how PageRank corresponds to actual importance:
| Toolbar Score | Real PageRank Range |
|---|---|
| 0 | 0 – 10 |
| 1 | 100 – 1,000 |
| 2 | 1,000 – 10,000 |
| 3 | 10,000 – 100,000 |
| 4 | 100,000 – 1,000,000 |
| 5+ | And so on… |
However, as you can see, the scale is logarithmic. That means Toolbar PR does not get literally important proportionally to the figure. Further, it is worthy to note that Google revises its ranking algorithm from time to time and, therefore, alters the manner in which PageRank information is presented. In case of new or unindexed pages, the toolbar suggests an expected PR value in accordance with the parent’s rank. Should no parent page PR exist, it can give a zero, which may be replaced with a placeholder pending the firmer judgment of Google.
PageRank and Link Popularity
Most of PageRank is preoccupied with link popularity. Search engines do not consider the relevance of the content, language used, or particular keyword used in the anchor text. Needless to say, its ranking is based solely on the number and quality of the links guiding users to a specific page.
Key Definitions:
- PR (PageRank): The actual value that Google calculates for the importance of a particular page, which can vary from 0.15 to very high.
- Toolbar PR: A simplified score mentioned above with additional three elements: 3 basic color-coded scores from 0 to 10.
- Backlink: A hyperlink that connects one page with another, where the target page receives a goodwill vote from the source page.
Conclusion
PageRank, despite its name, is significant in SEO only to a limited extent, but it belongs to Google’s multifaceted ranking. Understanding how SEO works and how it can be affected allows SEO professionals to build a better strategy to promote their site’s ranking in search engines.
