For some reason PageRank seems to be one of the great secrets in internet marketing, and yet it is not.
Understanding PageRank will aid in improving your website’s Google ranking. This in turn provides increased online exposure which in turn leads to improved sales opportunity.
Background
Every wondered why so many people use Google? The answer is deceptively simple; Google gives great search results. It does this by putting the best quality search results first.
Google calculates a quality score (known as PageRank) for every page it knows about on the internet. PageRank is named after the inventor, Google’s Larry Page.
PageRank is a number ranging from 0 (poor) to 10 (best)
Refer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Page
Refer http://www.google.com/technology/
To get better online exposure for your website; convince Google your website has good quality by getting a high PageRank for the pages in your website.
Viewing PageRank
To assess your website’s PageRank a great place to start is to view its PageRank value for the key sales pages.
Google ToolbarTM
The easiest way to do this is with the Google Toolbar which has an optional PageRank meter display. Download and install the Google Toolbar (for free) from http://toolbar.google.com
During the installation you may have to enable the PageRank, or if it is already installed go to Settings; Options; More and enable PageRank and Page Info.
When installed and enabled the green PageRank gauge displays in your Google Toolbar and a mouse-over tooltip shows the calculated PageRank value for the page you are currently visiting.
The astute business person will check their own website, then compare these with known competitor sites as well!
Website PageRank tools
PageRank can also be viewed using websites providing this as a service such as SEO Chat www.seochat.com/seo-tools/pagerank-lookup/
PageRank Programs
Another PageRank viewing alternative is software like Cleverstats’ . This free tool calculates PageRank as well as other relevant parameters for your website. PaRaMeter provides the ability to monitor this data over time to gauge your ongoing success (or otherwise).
This software tool needs to be downloaded and installed on your computer.
Read more here www.cleverstat.com/en/page-rank-monitor-help.htm
Accuracy
Note that there is ongoing conjecture about the accuracy of all of these tools, but they are certainly a good start.
Increasing PageRank
If you now have a handle on PageRank, you’ll now want to improve it.
PageRank is influenced solely by links to your site from other pages i.e. inbound links or back links.
The very best links for you are from pages that have a good PageRank.
As well as increasing PageRank links also:
- Sales leads
Links guide prospective clients to your site. For free! - Build your keywords
The link’s tag text reinforces your website’s target keywords
Getting Links
There is no easy way to collect links. You need to persuade business associates, peers, industry groups, clients and mates; in fact anyone who has a website with a decent PageRank and convince them put a link back to your site.
These good folks have to invest their time and their money to put your link in their site, so the best way is to leverage your relationship with them.
Buying Links?
In the good ol’ days you could just go out an buy a selection of links with juicy pageRank and away your website would rank. Sadly time have chancged and you can’t buy links anymore (wellactually you can but be warned!)
Links used to be available at quite reasonable prices, but just like cheap petrol; not any more.
Google decided it was poor form to buy links because it misrepresents the underlying principal; site quality. They started a link seller vendetta and even have a “dob in a link seller” page. www.mattcutts.com/blog/how-to-report-paid-links/
Amazingly high PageRank links are still offered for sale, so buyer beware.
The best links?
Use Google’s Toolbar to check the PageRank for potential link value before you invest your time and effort in the first place
How many links?
The answer really is enough links to beat your competition. Google has indicated 20 or more links.
Note that Links disappear too, and I’ve seen PageRank decrease regularly as a result. Suddenly disappearing from significant rankings can be a stern reality check. So treat collecting links as an ongoing task.
Time frames
Google re-calculates PageRank periodically; approximately every 3 to 6 months.
Note that your site may loose or gain PageRank as a result of recalculation.
Some SEO conspiracy theorists also suggest that links should be collected gradually and gently over a period to time. I subscribe to the do it now; get results now; get more links later; who’s got time to wait anyway theory.
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