Not many weeks ago, WebProNews ran a story about Google deleting PageRank from Webmaster Tools. Susan Moskwa, a Webmaster Trends Analyst at the important search engine said, “We’ve been telling people for a long time they shouldn’t focus on PageRank so much; many site owners seem to think it’s the most important metric for them to track, which is simply not true,” she clarified. “We removed it because we felt it was silly to tell people not to think about it, but then to show them the data, implying that they should look for it.” As it stands now, PageRank is deleted from Google WebMaster Tools but can still be seen in the Google Toolbar.
I don’t know why Google advises that we shouldn’t put too much weight on the numbers displayed in PageRank yet it is apparent to every one that most of us rely on these numbers when reviewing the results of our search engine optimization and marketing strategies and seeing that a majority acquiesce to the concept that a high PR means added traffic for our online business then, Page Rank should not be discounted when evaluating the results of our efforts.
Titus Hoskins, a Search Engine Marketer and author of ‘Does Google Page Rank Count Anymore?’ wrote in his article that, “For years, Google has been downplaying the importance of Page Rank and states that it’s only one of about 200 ranking factors which determine how Google ranks its index for keywords”, emphasized the outcomes of gaining high PR grade on web establishments, and I believe that a lot of what he wrote made a lot of sense.
Titus Hoskins spoke about the end product of a superior page rank announcing that, “Obtaining a high PR7 or PR8 simply means more business and revenues. Placed against a PR1 site, a PR8 will win more respect in the eyes of potential clients and can produce enormous profits for the site owner.”
So where does this prospective client respect come from? It comes from their respect of Google indeed. Titus Hoskins addressed the respect and brand recall Google has by saying, “Google has established an unmatched credibility and brand recognition in the eyes of potential customers visiting your site. Web users trust Google for guidance and direction”, and as an web marketer, Hoskins is astounded by how Google affects the online community. Concerning this he said, “I am completely amazed each day at the marketing power Google now commands with web surfers and with the general population.” Hoskins added, “Google is the king of online search and no other search engine even comes close to Google.”
I translate that to signify that if Google, gives an online business a high PR, then count on Google’s influence to have a positive effect on the number of online visitors purchase from that site. So how can we prevent these online businesses from assigning such a big to Google PageRank figures?
“Regardless of what Google wants to happen,” added Hoskins, “PageRank is still extremely important to anyone marketing on the web, especially if you’re selling SEO services or operating a web business.” In closing, he summarizes people’s assessment of PageRank as a marketing tool that, “still wields tremendous influence and power” and universally, this conception has remained true up until now. “By default, PageRank is Google’s opinion of your site,” Hoskins wrote. “Web users can count (at least to 10) and if Google believes people are still not counting when it comes to PageRank, then they are fully mistaken.”
In spite of what Google has said is their opinion I am still of the opinion that there is some benefits to be obtained from Google’s PageRank feature. I see eye to eye with the authors quoted above, and plan to continue to use Google’s PageRank in my evaluation of my own SEO efforts as well as other people’s.
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