Article printed from SiteProNews: http://www.sitepronews.com
  HTML version available at: http://www.sitepronews.com/archives.html

Does Google PageRank Count Anymore?
By Titus Hoskins (c) 2009

Being a full-time SEM (Search Engine Marketer) I have been
conditioned like Pavlov's dog (not a pretty picture) to
jump every time Google twitches. Lately Google has been
doing a lot of twitching.

Specifically, the rather startling news from Google
Webmaster Trends Analyst Susan Moskwa that Google has
ditched PageRank from Webmaster Tools.

"We've been telling people for a long time that 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," states Moskwa. "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 at it." (Source: WebProNews)

Now, for SEO reasons or for ranking in Google's index,
PageRank has long been eunuchified by Google. However, even
missing a few dangling bits, history has shown us, eunuchs
still wheel tremendous power. PageRank is no different.

Regardless of what Google wants to happen, PageRank is
still extremely important to anyone marketing on the web,
especially if you're selling SEO services or operating a
web business. Try selling SEO services when that little
green bar on your site is pointing to PR0 or worst yet,
pointing to a solid gray bar.

Obtaining a high PR7 or PR8 simply means more business and
revenues... regardless of how Google is or is not using
PageRank. People know how to count and they learned long
ago, a ten is a lot more than a big fat zero.

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 and we won't even mention the
still widely practiced habit of selling links, which Google
is desperately trying to stop. Total and full elimination
of PageRank would be an honest start, but it will still be
an uphill, if not an unwinnable battle, for Google to fully
eliminate link selling.

Even with my modest sites, I have turned down a small
fortune by not selling text links on any of my sites. When
I had a PR6 site instead of a PR4 - those link requests
were nearly doubled. So one can easily understand Google's
position and the need to downplay PageRank, if they want to
put even a small dent in all this link selling and buying,
which is still running rampant on today's web.

PageRank is Google's creation, and unless they remove it
fully from their system and the Google toolbar, then
PageRank still Counts. Actually, in the whole scheme of
marketing your website on the net, PageRank counts big
time. And in more ways than one.

There are several reasons why you shouldn't count PageRank
out.

For years Google has been downplaying the importance of
PageRank and states it's only one of about 200 ranking
factors which determine how Google ranks its index for
keywords. Obtaining top organic rankings for popular
lucrative keywords in Google simply means money in the
bank. Actually, even a movement of only one or two places
on those first page SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) can
make a major difference to any online marketer's bottom
line.

Now while you can have a lower PR number and still rank
above other higher PR pages for your chosen keywords, I
have even had many times when my PR drops but my actual
SERPs rankings in Google goes up, mainly due to building
related relevant backlinks. So PageRank counts little
towards your keyword rankings, but it can't be totally
dismissed.

Mainly because, even if PR is just one ranking factor, in
close competitive keyword battles (I am presently fighting
tooth and nail for some very choice keywords) just one
ranking factor such as high PR can make the difference of
whether or not you get to the top spot. Big dogs are still
jumping and for those of us who know how to count, getting
a number one spot in Google makes all the difference in the
world.

Not only because Google controls roughly 80% of all search
engine traffic, but more importantly Google has established
unmatched credibility and brand recognition in the eyes of
potential customers visiting your site. Web users trust
Google. Web users look to Google for guidance and
direction. Web users believe what Google is telling them.
In the online world, rightly or wrongly, perception is
everything.

As an online marketer, I am completely amazed each day at
the marketing power Google now commands with web surfers
and with the general population. Google is king of online
search and no other search engine even comes close to
Google.

PageRank is Google's ranking system, and in the eyes of
those who notice these things, it still wields tremendous
influence and power. By default, PageRank is Google's
opinion of your site, and 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.
===========================================================
The author is a full-time professional online marketer who
has numerous niche websites. For the latest web marketing
tools try: http://www.marketingtoolguide.com or here:
http://www.bizwaremagic.com  2009 Titus Hoskins. This
article may be freely distributed if this resource box
stays attached.
===========================================================

Copyright © 2009 Jayde Online, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

SiteProNews is a registered service mark of Jayde Online, Inc.