|
Author: Bradley James Article source: http://www.seotraffictool.com/. Used with author's permission.
Webmasters can spend most of their waking hours doing everything they can to raise their Google PageRank. It is common knowledge that PageRank, which is largely based upon the number and quality of backlinks a webpage has, is an important factor in how well a particular webpage ranks within the Google search results. Since webmasters spend so much of their time worrying about PageRank, an important question is: how important is PageRank, really?
Many webmasters will tell you from experience that other factors besides PageRank, such as keyword density and placement, have recently taken a larger role in website ranking. No one will argue that PageRank has become irrelevant, but there is significant evidence to suggest that PageRank is not quite as important of a factor in website ranking as it once was.
To illustrate this point, I utilized a very useful tool you can find at prlookup.com. The tool returns regular Google query results with one interesting addition - they also give the pagerank for every webpage. Thus, you can type in any word or phrase and see the pagerank of those webpages that rank well (or not so well) for that keyword. Looking at the results, you probably notice something almost immediately. Some sites with low PRs do surprisingly well in the results, while some higher PR sites do quite poorly. Some of this difference can be contributed to sheer content - that is, how many times, and in what manner, the keywords you entered actually show up on the webpage. Google takes a close look at keyword usage and density in determining ranking. However, some pages clearly have very close keyword densities, yet in some cases the page with the lower pagerank will somehow still receive a better ranking.
Let us take a more quantitative look at this. Taking 20 of the most popular keywords from rankpulse.com (for this particular day), and entering them in prlookup.com, it is possible to get a better feel for the importance of pagerank. Looking at the first five results only, I wanted to see how many followed in order of highest PR to lowest PR. Surely, out of the results for 20 keywords, a good portion of them will display such an order, right? I have listed the number of webpage results that appeared in correct PageRank order for each keyword (i.e. 5 would indicate that 5 out of 5 results were in order of highest to lowest pagerank). You can see the table with results at Google Advisor.
Although limited by sample size, the results indicated that PageRank is not an overwhelmingly dominant component of website ranking on Google. If it were, the average of correct PageRank order for these keywords really should be somewhere around 4 to 5 (the real average was about 2.15). Thus, other factors including keyword density in webpage content, title, and even the URL, play a significant role in webpage ranking. I want to mention that, while looking over these results, I noticed that about 4-5 of these keywords came up with at least one webpage within the first 10 results (first page on Google) that had absolutely no PageRank at all (PR 0). In addition, a couple keywords came up with results with exactly reverse-order PageRanks - that is, the first result at the lowest PR and the fifth result had the highest (for example, PR8, 7, 6, 6, 5 or something similar).
So what does this all mean for the average webmaster concerned with SEO? The first lesson is that keywords and other non-PageRank factors can be absolutely crucial. They can put a PR6 site above a PR8 site (if you don't believe me just use the tool I mentioned above). Does this mean that website owners should not worry about links? Not at all. It's just that all the time people spend on exchanging and acquiring links for the sole purpose of increasing PageRank may be better spent developing website content and keyword strategies instead.
As far as keywords are concerned, we discovered that having keywords in the website title and URL can help a site rank much more competitively. Good content tends to have the fortunate effect of both increasing your one-way in-bound links (people like to link to sites they find interesting, thoughtful, informative, or helpful), thereby improving your PageRank, while at the same time producing keyword rich webpages good for both human viewers and search engine spiders.
The take home message here is that PageRank is important, but it certainly is not worth obsessing over; there are many other factors involved in website ranking that should be given nearly equal consideration. In addition, simply building a good website is the best thing you can do to attract visitors, even without a great PageRank. PageRank, however, will likely follow - consider it a welcomed byproduct of your hard work. Bradley James is Webmaster of GoogleAdvisor.org, an informational site providing free information to casual searchers and Webmasters about the Google search engine.
Glass Sinks – 4 Unbreakable Rules of Buying a Glass Vessel Sink
Want a glass sink but don't have the slightest idea how to buy one? Then these rules are for you.
You Can Make Money from Embroidery
Who wouldn't want to be able to make money from doing something they love, like a hobby or a craft?
Money Matters
Choosing a bank should be a well-researched project. Which bank is the best for you depends on what features and amenities you most value, as well as the use an...
How Attractive Are YOU as a Potential Business Partner?
Prospecting is a numbers game. How often have you heard this cliché? Well, it certainly is true that you must speak with enough people if you plan on winning th...
Fish Oils And A Plethora of Chronic Health Problems
Most of us know that fish makes for a healthier dinner than steak. It is lower in bad cholesterol and a few other things. But numerous studies support the hypot...
Thank Goodness for Customer Complaints
Of course, the best customer is one that is completely satisfied. The next best customer is dissatisfied and complains. The worst customer is one that is dissat...
Why Cant We Just Get Along
In relationships with other people we often struggle when we as a member of a couple have disagreement with our partner. Sometimes it helps to look at a situat...
An Introduction to Bach Flower Essences Part I – The Twelve Healers
Bach Flower Essences are becoming recognized for their ability to shift one's emotional states for improved outlook and balance. The essences work on an 'etheri...
The Joys of Being Healthy
It is amazing to be able to say I am a whole, happy, healthy, loving woman. I was sick for the first 40 years of my life. Like millions of other human beings I...
The 3 Biggest Priority Busters
Do you know what the 3 biggest priority busters are? You may not know them off the top of your head, but you live through them every day at work.
Contact an Expert
Let's say that you have discovered your purpose but you don't know how to go about obtaining God's purpose for your life. You don't know what to do next. How do...
Stock Analysis
I receive emails from Morningstar. This company provides statistics and analysis of just about every publicly traded stock company you can think of as well as v...
Im Loving Me... Right Where I Am
I heard these words from a client who had been struggling for weeks to find peace in her estranged relationship with her daughter. Because she 'new better' she ...
A Simple Guide to Analyzing All Those Web Traffic Ideas - Part 1
There will be a lot of people unhappy about what I am going to reveal in this article. However, I think it is time somebody spoke out about what is happening on...
Fuzzy Names, Sweet Names
As with everything, names go through cycles of change with passing generations. I also tend to think that names have improved immensely since the first Elmas, ...
Weight Loss: Goal-Setting for Success
Have you tried to lose weight before but failed? Follow these simple steps and you'll have your own personalized plan for success!
How to Stop Attracting Negative People to Your Life
When you meet someone who is offering a significantly lower vibration than yours, you often feel dragged down by that person, i.e. the experience just doesn't f...
Make em READ Your Cover Letter Using This Killer Secret!
Got your attention? Great. That was my intention. Who wouldn't want to read on when the title promises a 'killer secret.'
Why Are We So Lost? The Journey Home
In a world full of technological tools and gadgets to help us find our way, why are we so lost? With the right chip we could discover our location on a GPS (Glo...
Wedding Day Hair Styles - A Top Ten Checklist
Don't leave anything to chance when it comes to the bride's hair on the big day. This top ten checklist will help ensure success and happy memories for years to...
The Importance of Choosing Your Website Keywords Carefully
Keyword Research Tips, Tactics, and Secrets for Optimizing Your Website the Right Way
8 Ways to Get Off The Success-Go-Round and Have a Consistent Flow of Success
Are you consistently chasing success? Once you achieve it, do you desperately try to continue the pattern of making it happen again? Isn't it time you got off t...
Saving on Home Insurance: Tips for Cutting Costs
Everyone is searching for a way of cutting costs, a method to lower their overall monetary expenses. Saving on home insurance is a reasonable, viable option whe...
Five Reasons To Use Cross Training To Whip You In Top Shape
Cross training has gained a lot of popularity in recent years, and seems to be fulfilling its promise of making us healthier and more fit overall. Even the ear...
|
Print this page