The more popular Google rates a web page, the higher it appears in relevant search results.
The popularity rating Google assigns to every web page is called the Google Page Rank.
Page Rank, which was originally developed by Google co-founder Larry Page at Stanford University, fundamentally relies on the link structure of the web, where a link from page 1 to page 2 is considered a 'popularity vote' by page 1 for page 2.
The actual volume of 'popularity votes' each page receives is a factor in determining Page Rank, however, Google also analyses Page 1 (the web page 'voting' for the other page) and considers a link (or vote) from a more popular page to be more important than a link (or vote) from a less popular page.
The actual Page Rank is calculated via a complex algorithm and is expressed as a score on a continuous distribution between 0 and 1. The higher the Page Rank, the more popular Google rates the web page and the higher it will appear in relevant search results. Using tools such as the Google Toolbar, it's possible to receive an approximate reading of the PageRank of a given URL, expressed as a value between 0 and 10. In our experience, the actual effective 'value' of this figure is logarithmic (like the Richter scale) - that is, a 4 is an order of magnitude more important than a 3, which is an order of magnitude more important (and thus harder to obtain) than a 2, and so forth.
Google typically updates the 'trade-secret' algorithm that determines Page Rank values without notice around 4 times each year, often with major impact on the Page Rank of some web sites, so it is a good idea to regularly monitor your web site's Page Rank score via readily available tools such as: http://www.prchecker.info/check_page_rank.php, or by using Google's own Toolbar in your browser.
The Google Page Rank has proven to be subject to manipulation via various unethical means. Google vigilantly protects the integrity of Google Page Rank scores and employs advanced techniques to determine unethical manipulation. Where activity that unethically manipulates Page Ranking is detected, Google applies various penalties to the offending web site, which may in some cases result in the Google Toolbar and other tools returning an estimated Page Rank of '-1', indicating that the site has been excluded from Google altogether.
IASP offers a comprehensive range of Search Engine Optimisation services, including quarterly reports in which we provide an estimate of the Google Page Rank for up to 5 competitor web sites against the client's web site we are analysing.
In our SEO Reports we classify the Google Page Rank on the following scale:
For practical reference, even without dedicated search engine optimisation, the majority of IASP web sites achieve an initial Google Page Rank of 2 to 3 the first time they are catalogued by Google.
The IASP.com.au website has a current Page Rank of 5 while the Sydney Morning Herald and NineMSN web sites have a Page Rank of 6.
The Page Rank is a vital component in gaining higher search rankings within the Google Search Engine, which accounts for 87.5% of search engine referrals to the extensive IASP client network, however, it is important to remember that it is only one of many factors that must be combined to deliver consistent optimised search engine ranking performance.
Tuesday, 26 February 2008
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