Comments on: Why the Page Rank Toolbar has Little to do with Links http://dixonjones.com/seo/pagerank-and-links/ Building Links between Internet Marketing and Business Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:10:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Dixon Jones http://dixonjones.com/seo/pagerank-and-links/comment-page-1/#comment-1011 Dixon Jones Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:47:44 +0000 http://dixonjones.com/?p=426#comment-1011 The Majestic data is its own. I'll be doing a bigger review of it in due course. The other data source used in the article is via Yahoo's api. Of course, a good quality link is a sign that a page is important to the world - and that eventually reflects in the green bar. I seem to have aggrevated a couple of people by liberally using adjectives to make the meaning a bit murky. Quality counts. Quantity doesn't. But I still feel that the green bar that users see is a long way from the PageRank that forms key main part f the algorithm. It is out of date compared to the true PageRank, for one thing, but more than this, other factors are also coming onto play in Google choosing your mark out of 10. An example was when Google appeared to penalize sites apparently selling links a few years back. The (green bar) page ranks dropped, but from what I heard, traffic didn't. So Google took a "view" and effective;y used the toolbar to send a warning message over the bow of sites. The Majestic data is its own. I’ll be doing a bigger review of it in due course. The other data source used in the article is via Yahoo’s api.

Of course, a good quality link is a sign that a page is important to the world – and that eventually reflects in the green bar. I seem to have aggrevated a couple of people by liberally using adjectives to make the meaning a bit murky. Quality counts. Quantity doesn’t.

But I still feel that the green bar that users see is a long way from the PageRank that forms key main part f the algorithm. It is out of date compared to the true PageRank, for one thing, but more than this, other factors are also coming onto play in Google choosing your mark out of 10.

An example was when Google appeared to penalize sites apparently selling links a few years back. The (green bar) page ranks dropped, but from what I heard, traffic didn’t. So Google took a “view” and effective;y used the toolbar to send a warning message over the bow of sites.

]]> By: Jaamit http://dixonjones.com/seo/pagerank-and-links/comment-page-1/#comment-1008 Jaamit Thu, 23 Apr 2009 11:05:31 +0000 http://dixonjones.com/?p=426#comment-1008 Some great analysis and I'm really loving that Majestic backlink history tool! But I would disagree with your conclusion that toolbar pagerank "isn't about links". All this proves, as Alan says above, is that it's not about the raw *quantity* of links but more about their quality. I've seen Toolbar PageRank rising from 3 to 6 just (predominantly) off the back of 3 very authoritative links. Btw where does majestic get its backlink data - does it have its own index or does it use Yahoo data? Some great analysis and I’m really loving that Majestic backlink history tool!

But I would disagree with your conclusion that toolbar pagerank “isn’t about links”. All this proves, as Alan says above, is that it’s not about the raw *quantity* of links but more about their quality. I’ve seen Toolbar PageRank rising from 3 to 6 just (predominantly) off the back of 3 very authoritative links.

Btw where does majestic get its backlink data – does it have its own index or does it use Yahoo data?

]]> By: Dixon Jones http://dixonjones.com/seo/pagerank-and-links/comment-page-1/#comment-998 Dixon Jones Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:24:07 +0000 http://dixonjones.com/?p=426#comment-998 Heh. We know how to spread the link love around Alan :) Heh. We know how to spread the link love around Alan :)

]]> By: Alan Potts http://dixonjones.com/seo/pagerank-and-links/comment-page-1/#comment-992 Alan Potts Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:47:08 +0000 http://dixonjones.com/?p=426#comment-992 Nice one Dixon - I'm always a bit bemused about the obsession with PR. And, anyway, isn't it the quality of the company you keep that's important rather than the absolute number of 'friends'? i.e. If EGM had a lot less links but they were all hugely authoritative, then he'd presumably have a much longer green bar than you :-) Nice to see a bit of friendly 'green bar' envy going on amongst you guys. Personally, nowadays I'm happy with a modest one as long as it makes money! All the best ;-) Nice one Dixon – I’m always a bit bemused about the obsession with PR. And, anyway, isn’t it the quality of the company you keep that’s important rather than the absolute number of ‘friends’? i.e. If EGM had a lot less links but they were all hugely authoritative, then he’d presumably have a much longer green bar than you :-)
Nice to see a bit of friendly ‘green bar’ envy going on amongst you guys. Personally, nowadays I’m happy with a modest one as long as it makes money!
All the best ;-)

]]> By: Dixon Jones http://dixonjones.com/seo/pagerank-and-links/comment-page-1/#comment-988 Dixon Jones Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:35:06 +0000 http://dixonjones.com/?p=426#comment-988 Thanks Peter. Yes - Google seems to have a way of being able to change the meaning of a word. This is extremely clever. The original "PageRank" was in deed all about links - but millions of lay-people see "PageRank" as that little green bar, and Google describes it as a view of "importance" and over a frighteningly short period of time, we all think "PageRank" is a number from 0 to 10. More recently, they have hijacked the phrase "Website Optimisation" and legitimized the phrase by changing the meaning to analyzing conversion rates instead of search engine friendliness. Don't get me wrong - Google's "Website Optimizer" is a great tool, but it further darkens the murky waters of SEO by giving ambiguity to phrases banded around in the industry. Thanks too, Steve. You must be younger than me. When I started this game, Inktomi and AltaVista were king. The green bar was some way off! Thanks Peter. Yes – Google seems to have a way of being able to change the meaning of a word. This is extremely clever. The original “PageRank” was in deed all about links – but millions of lay-people see “PageRank” as that little green bar, and Google describes it as a view of “importance” and over a frighteningly short period of time, we all think “PageRank” is a number from 0 to 10.

More recently, they have hijacked the phrase “Website Optimisation” and legitimized the phrase by changing the meaning to analyzing conversion rates instead of search engine friendliness. Don’t get me wrong – Google’s “Website Optimizer” is a great tool, but it further darkens the murky waters of SEO by giving ambiguity to phrases banded around in the industry.

Thanks too, Steve. You must be younger than me. When I started this game, Inktomi and AltaVista were king. The green bar was some way off!

]]> By: Steven Nash http://dixonjones.com/seo/pagerank-and-links/comment-page-1/#comment-987 Steven Nash Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:45:25 +0000 http://dixonjones.com/?p=426#comment-987 Good article - It's difficult to persuade people to ignore the green bar. Over time the green bar has become the end instead of a means... it used to be one of many indicators that an SEO campaign was heading in the right direction but now in some instances it's actually become one of the starting objectives of seo campaigns. Good article – It’s difficult to persuade people to ignore the green bar. Over time the green bar has become the end instead of a means… it used to be one of many indicators that an SEO campaign was heading in the right direction but now in some instances it’s actually become one of the starting objectives of seo campaigns.

]]> By: Peter Barnsley http://dixonjones.com/seo/pagerank-and-links/comment-page-1/#comment-986 Peter Barnsley Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:30:40 +0000 http://dixonjones.com/?p=426#comment-986 Great Post Dixon, Probably worth emphasising that PR did used to be all about the back links, and that as you point out the original Stanford Patent was am accurate representation of its use. I think the confusion amongst most web masters has come from this. It also does not help that the PR green bar is still so actively pushed - the prevalence of its use probably compounds the misconception. Great Post Dixon,
Probably worth emphasising that PR did used to be all about the back links, and that as you point out the original Stanford Patent was am accurate representation of its use. I think the confusion amongst most web masters has come from this.
It also does not help that the PR green bar is still so actively pushed – the prevalence of its use probably compounds the misconception.

]]> By: Dixon Jones http://dixonjones.com/seo/pagerank-and-links/comment-page-1/#comment-985 Dixon Jones Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:20:55 +0000 http://dixonjones.com/?p=426#comment-985 I think the clue is in the tag line on your blog. "Part three, episode one...". When I get my next update I'll be able to see all the old redirects... but that's a different tale :) I think the clue is in the tag line on your blog. “Part three, episode one…”.

When I get my next update I’ll be able to see all the old redirects… but that’s a different tale :)

]]> By: Jane http://dixonjones.com/seo/pagerank-and-links/comment-page-1/#comment-984 Jane Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:59:37 +0000 http://dixonjones.com/?p=426#comment-984 No, it's just because I'm a black hat. No, it’s just because I’m a black hat.

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