Google Page Rank

Google PageRank is just a number. But really, it's a pretty important one. It's one of the biggest factors in determining your Search Engine Ranking - and getting it higher is the target of all of your Search Engine Optimization efforts.

Every now and then, Google will go through each and every page in their index and assign a numerical value to it. This value is based on many factors including the number of pages linking to you, the value of those pages, and the number of links on those pages.

Let's say that your kitchen sink is leaking a little, and you're looking for a plumber. You'll probably find names in many ways: Friend reccomendations, family reccomendations, yellow pages, etc. Well, anyone can advertise in the yellow pages, so you're bound to find lots of plumbers - but how can you tell if they're legit or not? You'll probably ask around. Friends and family will be the next place that you'd go. If you've got friends who can refer plumbers their word is probably more important to you than some yellow pages ad.

So, how about that PageRank?

Ok, let's say that there are 10 plumbers in your area. Sure - there are probably a lot more - but let's go with 10 for brevity's sake. If 8 of those 10 advertise in the yellow pages, let's give them a ranking of 1. Just for advertising, and getting their name out there, they get a 1. These guys are doing more than those other two bums - so their ranking is higher. Now, the VALUE of the ads in the yellow pages also matters, right? 3 of these guys have the basic listing - so we're not going to reward them with a higher number - they've already got a 1 for being in the book. The 5 other guys have created an ad - so they've put more into getting noticed. We'll give them another point, so they're at two. One of these guys has a full-page ad, with lots of helpful information. He gets another point because he's just plain awesome.

Scorecard: 5 plumbers have a score of 2, 3 plumbers have a score of 1. One guy is at 3, and the other two guys have nothing... yet.

Ramping it Up

Now, let's go ask your 10 most respected friends if they have any thoughts on specific plumbers. Two friends mention the same guy who has the biggest ad in the yellow pages. Four other friends mention one of the guys with a basic listing. Since your friends mean more to you than the yellow pages ads - the value on their recommendations should be higher. So, let's give the Big Ad guy another 2 points, and the basic listing guy gets two points for being mentioned by your friends. In fact, since FOUR of your friends all mention the basic listing guy - he gets another two points.
Scorecard: Big Ad Guy: 5, Basic Listing Guy: 7, 4 other basic Listing guys: still 2.

Guess what, your father-in-law just had a serious plumbing issue. He ended up having to have a bunch of work done to his house, and less than a month ago - he went through this process himself: yellow pages, asking friends, etc. He settles on one guy based on his own research. Turns out that this guy your father-in-law uses is one of the four other "Basic Listings Guys". Since your father-in-law is very trusted by you, and he's done some recent research, we're going to give his guy 5 points.

Scorecard: Big Ad Guy: 5, Basic Listing Guy:7, Father-In-Law Guy: 6, other guys are still at 2.

Bringing it Home

So, the point is this - there are several guys who can do the job. There are recommendations from many places. It's all about reputation. Your web site (and more specifically your web pages, since each one can have a different page rank) will get a better PageRank based on the number of sites linking to it, AND the VALUE of the sites linking to it. Subscribing to link farms, isn't the way to go. Having the best products, services, or information- which will entice others to link to you is key.

Bottom Line

Have other sites, who are respected in your field link to you. That will increase your page rank. How you do that is up to you, but generally - send emails, make phone calls, talk to people and build your business. Remember, every web site out there has some person behind it. People are generally willing to help- and network. If it makes sense for your business, exchange links with other businesses in your field. It doesn't have to be competitors, just people in your field. To further the plumbing analogy, these plumbers would benefit from having sink manufacturers talk about them. Refrigerator manufacturers, pipe manufacturers, even dry wall repairmen (since plumbing goes in the walls) are also good.

Now, get out there and make some contacts. And if you need help exchanging links on your web site, please feel free to contact us. That's why we're here - to help you and your small business get on the web - and get better Google PageRank!

Resources

Page Rank Checker: http://www.prchecker.info/check_page_rank.php
Page Rank on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PageRank
More PageRank Info: http://www.google.com/corporate/tech.html