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Five FAQ About Google PageRank
by: Patrick Carlow
Five FAQ about
Google PageRank
1. What is
PageRank and why should I care about it?
PageRank is a
formula that assigns a value to every page
in the Google index. Google displays search
results based on an algorithm which includes
the value of PageRank. So the higher your
site's PageRank, the more likely it is that
you will receive a top listing on the search
result page when someone types in the
keywords for your site.
2. How can I
view the PageRank of my own or other
websites?
It's very
simple to see anyone's PageRank. Just
download and install the Google toolbar.
It's a very quick and easy install. Just be
sure to choose the Advanced option during
the install so the PageRank of each site you
visit will be displayed on the toolbar.
3. How is
PageRank calculated?
I've seen a
formula for PageRank posted on Internet
websites and forums but have failed to see
anyone give a satisfactory explanation of
the formula. The formula appears so complex
you would probably have to be a
mathematician to even have a chance to
decipher it anyway. It looks something like
this:
PR(A) = (1-d)
+ d(PR(t1)/C(t1) + ... + PR(tn)/C(tn))
I will attempt
to explain it for you in plain English.
Basically it works like this. The more links
that point to your website the higher your
PageRank will be. The higher the PageRank of
the referring page that has your link on it,
the more PageRank you receive from Google.
For every outgoing link that a page has, the
value of those links drop. So for example, a
link from a page with a PageRank of 4, and
only 3 other links, is worth more than a
page with a PageRank of 5 and 100 links. It
is also believed that Google assigns more
value to a link that comes from a site with
similar content. So as you can see, there
are many variables when calculating PageRank.
4. How do I
increase my PageRank?
Again,
PageRank can be increased by the number of
incoming links to your website from other
sites on the Internet. In addition, it
requires anywhere from five to seven times
more to get from one level of PageRank to
the next.
So for
example, (and this is not a true formula) if
100 PageRank 3 sites with a link to your
page give you a PageRank of 4, then it would
take around 500 more PageRank 3 sites to
link to you before you became PageRank 5.
However if you had 1 link from a PageRank 8
site, that might be enough to give a higher
PageRank all by its self. It's really all
relative and trying to figure it out will
simply drive you mad, so don't bother. :)
The best thing you can do is obtain as many
quality incoming links from other sites with
similar content as you possibly can.
Another
important factor is the number of pages on
your site. The more pages on your site, the
higher potential you have to gain in
PageRank. More pages doesn't mean you will
get a higher PageRank only that you won't
hit a ceiling. Apparently Google has a cut
off point somewhere on the highest PageRank
it will give to sites with a low number of
pages.
5. When will
my PageRank be updated or change?
According to
the Google website, they update the index
about once a month. However if you spend any
amount of time reading search engine forums,
you will find that results vary for every
webmaster. PageRank may not update or may
change drastically for a long period of time
which is often times unexplainable. Usually
as long as you follow good web site
optimization techniques and maintain enough
quality incoming links, the index will
eventually assign your website PageRank and
adjust any changes which may have been made
in error.
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