A Quick Overview and a Little Advice on PageRank

Hello Reader,

I get asked a lot by my clients what my understanding is concerning PageRank. There’s a lot of resources and information out on the web that could make someone go mad, so I can see why a client or someone venturing online would seek out advice and information on what PageRank is? And how important it is to their online endeavor. I thought I would take the time to dedicate a few posts to some technical and philosophical ideas concerning PageRank. So I decided to look up a few references and dust off some of the old and new PageRank theories and concepts I’ve discovered over the years. The following posts are simple enough for newbies to understand or at least I think so. In future posts I am going to get more technical and offer references and links to information I’ve come across in the past as well, so hold on tight. Hope this quick and brief intro helps.

A few words you should become familiar with:

Link analysis, PageRank, algorithm, Larry Page, damping factor, HITS, hyperlinked set, logarithmic scale

A Few Quick Facts:

1. PageRank is actually owned by Stanford University, not Google
2. The Trade Mark for PageRank is owned by Google
3. Google has exclusive license rights on the patent from Stanford University
4. Google uses various, updated PageRank formulas to conduct a link analysis algorithm to determine the numerical weighting of a webpage
5. PageRank is often seen by marketers as not important, this is a misconception
6. PageRank assigns a numerical weighting to each element of a hyperlinked set of documents, measuring its relative importance within the set
7. Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B.(please keep in mind that Google’s PageRank analysis is complex and changes frequently, therefore don’t be under the misunderstanding that they use a simple PageRank formula to conduct their business. Its way more sophisticated than this definition leads us to believe.)
8. Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts the vote and then some..:)
9. The PageRank is derived from a theoretical probability value on a logarithmic scale

The definition of PageRank:

PageRank is a link analysis algorithm, named after Larry Page,[1] used by the Google Internet search engine that assigns a numerical weighting to each element of a hyperlinked set of documents, such as the World Wide Web, with the purpose of "measuring" its relative importance within the set. The algorithm may be applied to any collection of entities with reciprocal quotations and references. The numerical weight that it assigns to any given element E is also called the PageRank of E and denoted by PR(E).

Laymen’s Interpretation and Some Quick Advice

PageRank is a primary process used by Google to determine how important a webpage is. PageRank is a foundational element to Google’s core business model and merchants who desire to succeed in their online endeavors should understand the concept behind this process so they can get ranked and compete organically. This article initially isn’t going to go over the aspects of PageRank in deep detail, but we will eventually cover it at another time. What I will do is offer a quick intro and quickly merge two schools of thought on this first post, so we can program our minds to think correctly from the onset. It may not seem like it makes sense, but it will at a future date.

In this first post I want to immediately offer some practical advice on how someone should balance their views on PageRank and getting ranked on Google. Some people get so caught up in the technical side that they don’t start with a balanced view of how the elements of PageRank should be incorporated.

Over the years I’ve determined that PageRank and understanding the algorithms is only half of the story; the other half to getting your site ranked is found in the Google’s core company mission. It is in their mission that you discover the essence of their business and what they are truly focused on achieving. This is also the place where a Blogger, Affiliate Marketer or Online Merchant is challenged to take their site to the next level. If you still haven’t figured out what I am talking about, read on.

Having the technical knowhow to getting a site ranked is important, having a strong grasp of PageRank is key, but just as important is grasping the essence of Google’s basic philosophy to serving up the most relevant and credible return to its user. If you can integrate both the technical elements and the user experience mantra Google preaches on and through your site, you’ll achieve two important objectives:

1. You’ll be challenged to focus harder on building a great brand, great user experience and offer great content, great offers, great products and services that are relevant to your market. If you are already doing these things, great! But if your not focusing as hard as you should on these key elements of your site your going to get hurt on the SERPs

2. You’ll offer Google the right kind of mix on your site so that they can properly get your site indexed and hopefully get your site ranked for some really good keywords in your vertical.

Now please understand that there are no guarantees to anything I’ve just hypothesized, the two basic elements I just presented have come from years of experience and reading between the lines. Those that follow these common practices tend to go very far in their online endeavors and eventually get some good positioning.

Look a little closer!

My goal as an online marketing professional is to understand the not so obvious reasons why sites get ranked and to dig further for hidden gems not necessary apparent at first glance. Online businesses, Bloggers, Affiliate Marketers and the like who understand what I just said and apply this philosophy will not only get ranked but force themselves to work harder on their Brand, their user experience and the overall quality of their product or service to their site visitors. When I consult an online business I always remind them that getting ranked and staying ranked has two parts: the technical side and the service side. Those who can effectively integrate both sides within the architecture of their site will see much success.

Some concluding thoughts

It’s a well known fact that Google spends a good deal of resources and time on their PageRank formula and bettering the process, but I am also certain that a heck of lot of time and effort is spent by their research team and their marketing people to find out & study the patterns and behaviors of those who search the web and use their Search Engine. I mean think about it, if they can figure out all the questions and gaps in how, when and why people search, they can offer up some pretty accurate results and the better the results, the better the users experience and that’s the ticket!

BTW

If you’re a merchant reading this article and don’t have the faintest idea of how to get your site ranked, find someone like me :) or least someone who has the experience to help you optimize your site to get it ethically ranked by Google and other Search Engines.

Tell your friends about us!

Emilio Yepez