Google Toolbar PR demystified

Ok, every once in a while I think it is healthy to have the WHY DO YOU CARE ABOUT PR discussion

Nothing frustrates me more than seeing endless posts about PR (ToolBar PR actually) from people wondering when it is updating.. using ‘prediction’ tools… checking over multiple DCs and so on and so forth….

There are SO MANY other SEO activities people should be concerned with. Those of you that are entrenched in the ‘Cult of PR’ then you may leave now… For all the NooBs, please do read some of this :0)

For starters my fav description;

From; http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?p=1136514#post1136514


I have even ranted to the extent it made SlashDot with this piece; http://www.site-reference.com/articles/Search-Engines/The-Google-Toolbar-PageRank-Demystified.html

Snippet

So let’s have our monthly TBPR discussion… Why is everyone so damned excited about it?

 

Because according to Google it's an important factor.
So seo beginners care a lot about this factor and tell/ask/share with other members.

 

Actually Matt Cutts has said a few times not to worry about it. Where does Google say this? Sure from the early days up until 2004 (Florida/Hilltop) it was... since then? Not really and I have seen NO indication from Google (publically or via Search Patents) that is has been the case for quite some time.

Ha hah a... Yeah I knew that Big M... was merely using it to start the discussion...

In the article I did last summer I spoke with MC, Danny S and Jill W among others... PR is not a consideration according to many SEO folks I have played with ( Matt can't comment since the KinderStart thang was ongoing)

 

if i want to exchange links with other website, they will look first to PR, while it is 0, i can't exchange links with others.

 

Ok, but how is obsessing over it going to make a difference? You do your SEO and whatever the PR is..is what it is... It's (TBPR) more about Pages indexed and Back Links...

It is not something to focus a campaign on. If that were the case..then build all of your back links WITHOUT targeted link text... and add a whack of BS pages to your site.... you'll get PR... but no rankings/traffic

TBPR is not even LIVE...merely a snapshot anyways... Any focus on it seems simple erroneus to me

Riddle me this; blackhatseo has a PR5 ... would you LINK OUT to them? Could be a 'bad neighborhood' in my books.. PORN sites have TBPR... would you lnik out to them? It is not indicative of much of anything really now is it?

 

The way I see it, everyone starts at 0

 

Nice tip --- nothing else to offer m8?

 

Don't forget that point when you argue about its worth.

 

See??? Still TONs of posts about PR but no one 'get's it'...

It's turning into a link spam convention cause that's everyones main concern with PR... Ranking? Forget it...

"I have to get my PR up so I can exchange/sell links !!!"


Ohhhh... the pain of it all folks

 

PR is a good indicator of proper configuration or health of a website... split PR over www and non-www can also lead to duplicate content problems. 302 status codes can cause ranking problems, and show up in the way PR is distributed or Google crawls as well. This is why you will find panic posts at a time like this, when not all of the datacenters are in sync.

And it's not just the configuration of websites, either. Ever hear of a 302 hijack? Your PR goes to zip, and the jacker gets the ranking and PR. Seems to be fixed, but my trust was gone a long time ago. Linking absolutely is the only safe bet...

The really simple answer? Higher PR = easier SEO, be it gaining links, keyword density, etc.

 

theygypsy - I don't exactly understand your point? Is your point to obsess about not obsessing about PR?

PR is kinda like winning prom queen. IT is a reflection of "the webs" view about you. If you are popular among people in your field you have links etc.

I actually blogged about it here if you wanna read it......

 

Yup... I can live with that..thus I put above

That it can certainly be used for, my beef is with endless PR chasing... get on with other SEO activities and the PR (or Tool Bar PR really) shall take care of itself...

Smart Link Profile Development is certainly comething I am big on

 

Because I care about NooBs that's why... I chatted with Danny, Jill, MC and others in writing the original rant... and it was unanimous as far as the focus on TBPR being misplaced..

I quoted Mike Grehan and others.. Did you read THAT????

So yes, I obsess cause I care about the best possible information being out there.... SEO has enough 'mysteries' and 'misinformation'

I try not to per petuate it

Get it?



ADDED; Oh and I started readin your article... but decided to leave at;

Wrong

You may want to go and study the orignal PageRank papers .... methinks it is a tad off there...

The rest is some semantics along those lines and drifts off into Link Building strategies. What does that have to do with Page Rank algorithms M8?

A nice peice, but hardly saying anything to my points

 

Why I Care About PR
by Me

People send me lots and lots of money because I have it and they want it.

The End

 

OK.. so it is a linking scheme... not a viable SEO Program or targeting mechanism..

I don't have clients 'wanting PR' they want rankings and traffic ... PR will not do that... it is a NOT a focus of a meaningfull SEO campaign -- lol

Oh and G'day eh Tik... here ya got some Snow and cold out there...ouch ...

 

its something to get started on when your first getting in the game.

 

Toolbar PR is updated about every 3 months and every PR prediction tool/PageRank checker uses the toolbar server(s) to check PR. It is almost useless to check your outdated PR.

 

Yuppers M8 -- Every time I see people looking to PR checkers I cry... just get on with the Onpage and offpage work... THAT's something to focus on... leave dreams of PR behind,, build your site and apply your SEO strategies and PR will come

 

Toolbar pr gives a way to rapidly evaluate a website. Does pr carry through all the pages? I often look at pr before downloading software from unknown sites. If a script is on a pr7 page I feel it is much more likely to be free of virus. Pr is great tool for webmasters. My high pr sites are spidered much more frequently than low pr sites. If it dosent matter I would be happy to trade you a low pr site for a high pr site all other things being equal.

 

OK fictitious scenario. Assume I have a new site, and post a 'link-exchange' request. As a result I have a choice between 10 links from PR 5 pages OR 10 links from PR 1 pages. All good on-subject pages, with no other links on. Which would I choose? You can assume I don't care about my own PR but I want to do well in the SERPS.

Personally I would choose the PR5 links. Does it really make a difference? I don't know, but gut instinct and experience (not extensive, but pretty successful with the phrases I have) suggests that I would rise up in the SERPS better and faster with the PR5 links.

Gypsy, are you saying this is wrong? I know you're saying I should get the links because they are on-topic, not because of their PR, but are you suggesting PR is not at all relevant, and whichever choice I make will have the same effect on my SERP positions?

Cheers