Revealing PageRank's Dual State PageRank is simply a way for Google to measure the relative importance of each web page in its index, based on the frequency they're referred to throughout the internet.
A more technical approach defines PageRank as being a link analysis algorithm.
But PageRank is more complex than meats the eye...
For starters there are two types of PageRank: * First, there is the Real PageRank destined for Google use exclusively and...
* Secondly, there is the visible PageRank showing up with the PR Toolbar; this is used by webmasters and SEO developers to estimate Google's trust towards a given domain or webpage.
Although they have the same building principles - build quality back links, the real PageRank's values are much higher and can even reach millions.
What the 11 level toolbar does is sort webpages from 0 to 10, according to the real page each accumulates after launching.
Short case study: Take for example two webpages, one with toolbar PR 3, the second - 6.
The Real PR difference between these two is not double.
As a matter of fact, is a lot higher.
Regrettably, nobody actually knows exactly how Google works out the PR value of a web page or where the grades cross from one rank to the next.
Still, there is one insight that Google give us to how it calculates a webpage real PR: Each toolbar PageRank level is exponentially greater than the one before it, thus being more difficult to achieve.
In other words What was sufficient to go from PR2 to PR 3 level, won't be enough to go from PR3 to PR4.
Let's take a look at a few key points to help to gel the understanding of PageRank analysis in your mind: 1.
Google doesn't analyze websites, it analyzes web pages.
2.
The same toolbar PageRank level (say 2, e.
g.
) corresponds to a wide range of real PageRank.
So, even though two pages may show the same PR value, their real PageRank amount could be wide apart, or indeed very close.
3.
In the ranking process an amount of back links that all originate from the one web domain, will be given a low PageRank rating of 1.
4.
Each Webpage is borne with an initial PageRank valued at 0.
15.
The figure is given the formula (1-d), where d is called the "damping factor", with a value of 0.
85.
5.
In order for a web page to reach the top scoring end of the Toolbar, it must continue to amass an increasing quantity of inbound links.
6.
Every third month, the PageRank Toolbar is amended.
However,(and this is another example of the dual nature of PageRank), the Real PageRank undergoes real time updating, with the result that Real PageRank is always totally up to date.
This sometimes results in web pages being given a higher placement on search engine report pages, than other web pages of higher merit.
7.
Real PageRank is also programmed to analyze the link structure design of a web page.
After Google assembles a quantity of web pages within its index, it then rates them for integrity and popularity by assessing the quantity of links referring back to those pages.
But there are other considerations too.
PageRank Dynamics - The Principles: - Any web page is rated and given its PageRank from the incoming links from other web pages.
- A link coming from a webpage within the same site or from webpages in different domains has the same ranking power as long as those pages have identical PageRank values.
- Web pages are not penalized for linking with other pages.
The rating is simply diverted to those other pages.
This is because Google understand appropriate genuine outward linking, rather than attempts at PageRank counterfeiting.
- PageRank passed to other webpages is divided between the total number of links leaving the referring page.
- Finally, due to the damping factor, an incoming link is maximized at 85% of its value.