There is a big difference between Google internal pagerank and toolbar pagerank. Google has clearly stated that the toolbar PR is for entertainment only and is very outdated. In a recent post they have now said they only update it a couple of times per year.
I've always believed, and still believe, that PageRank is important to Google. If it weren't, they would drop it. But as various posters have said (with their opinions strengthened by quotes from Google employees), PR should not become overly important to us. Here's how I see it in summary: • PageRank is an important internal tool for Google. • PageRank is of minor importance to webmasters.
PageRank was always such a hot topic on DP! Breathlessly waiting for Google's next PR update, and boasting of getting PR4 and PR5. Whatever will these folk do now???
If PR is useless in the future, how can webmasters do SEO ? Trading links or three way links will be no use any more?
That comment by the Google staffer seems more like an awareness from Google that the value of page rank is no longer in their control. The consumers have given it added importance and there is nothing they can do about it.
But PR is like pringles, once you pop, you cant stop It will take a long time for people to get it out if their minds. It's still in the toolbar, which is like right in peoples faces.
Oh sure there is something they can do. They can turn off the switch and take away the public pr (toolbar PR). The actual pr that Google relies on is not public. The toolbar PR is a convenience.
For sometime the relationship between Google traffic and pagerank was disappearing. Sites with low PR began to catch the top position for competitive keywords. I agree with many here. Removing the Pagerank will make it difficult to understand the details of a website. With pagerank it is very easy to understand the importance of a website.
Got to admit that the PR ranking in webmaster tools was convenient in it's time though a check in the SERP's is just as useful. I'm wondering though if Google stops publicly announcing this ranking method altogether how this might affect the virtual equity value of a website considering that a lot of domains/sites are valued and sold due to their high PR score. Just recently I acquired a couple of PR 5 domains and spent a lot of cash in doing so. Now I'm guessing if there's to be no more PR broadcasting in general there could be panic selling or a loss of interest in purchasing such sites/domains in future. This could possibly crash in the dot com sales market in general and that's something I feel google - considering their influence on the web should factor in when or if such a decision regarding future Page Rank is made. Text brokers will also need to focus on alternative link building services probably in the traffic building sector as opposed to boosting PR juice for clients. I'm hoping that google should announce something soon and maybe put this issue to rest once and of all. ROOFIS
PageRank can't be removed, is a hot forum discussion, what we see now, other system of web relevance?
Hmm I think PR is still important right now.. In fact when your blog PR increased, the traffic also moving up slow but sure.. (CMIIW)
I have to agree. I would remove Google Toolbar if PR was gone. I might replace it with Alexa Toolbar. It looks like Alexa traffic is more accurate now and that is a good way to know the "weight" of a website.
That is a very good news. PR is an Yardstick or a grade we webmasters aspire aim to achieve. It must remain there. But changes could be made to the PR system to make it more effective. Anyway with the announcement I think the topic for now is closed.
Noticing that pagerank green bar has dissapeaered from my toolbar. No matter what site I type in the bar stays gray. Anyone else seeing this?