Comments on: Dear Google: Either Drop PageRank, or Give It More….Granularity

By: Will - ArenaFlowers.com

Will - ArenaFlowers.com — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:15:03 +0000

Everyone says it doesn't matter. Matt C said that it's not uncommon for lower PR sites to outrank higher PR sites. Vanessa Fox writes a long article about why it's not important. We all know this. Our PR was 6 about a year ago and is now 3, but our traffic is way up. It doesn't make any sense.

So why have it on the tool bar? It serves limited marketing insight value and I believe it can be damaging, because some members of joe public regard the little green bar as a proxy for trust and integrity of a site. So if the number's down, it could harm your conversion and your brand reputation. It should either be a better reflection of reality or be removed in my opinion.

By: nmw

nmw — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:34:37 +0000

Steve Rubel is apparently into mixing it up -- he has drunk the Goog Aid and is smoking the Rank Page, too:

http://www.micropersuasion.com/2008/10/page-rank-is-th.html

By: Suray

Suray — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:50:28 +0000

I think I will blog until my PR is dropped!

By: e book

e book — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:44:14 +0000

PageRank is not only broken, it is obsolete. It no longer represents any value to a website. It is where you actually appear in the search results that matter. It may PR0 me, but I still get G traffic - that's all that matters to me and most other website owners.

By: AD PR

AD PR — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:22:28 +0000

Because of the intense scrutiny by Webmasters regarding PageRank - it would be tremendously helpful if what is displayed could be more detailed.

Perhaps even to the point of showing fractions such as: 6.5

Google really has an obligation to detail what specific factors influence PR.

Many elements have already been figured out by Webmasters - but not enough info has been shared by Google on exactly WHAT it means and HOW it affect SERPS, as well as what types of backlinks have the most effect.

Of course, they do not want others to manipulate the info - but something needs to be shared

By: Jason Vu

Jason Vu — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:29:27 +0000

PageRank seems backward recently, another change next month?

By: Emer Lawn

Emer Lawn — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:33:28 +0000

Kieran Hawe's point that PageRank is to be taken with a grain of salt is well received, but that said...it should only hold small value for those that are not as familiar with the online space.

Online Marketers have access to so many other tools to determine the value of their website, so if you have the right key performance indicators set up and goals in mind, then PageRank is hardly going to be the way you determine value.

Thanks John, great point.

By: nmw

nmw — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:51:26 +0000

PageRank is complete nonsense -- even if Danny or John each had a PageRank of 10, I would still prefer to have a dentist look after my teeth (and also if he had a PageRank of 0).

The only people who worry about it is the people who look at it, and that is mostly Google-fans who have voluntarily installed the Google toolbar (spyware) on their PCs.

By: Nick Stamoulis

Nick Stamoulis — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 01:32:38 +0000

I have to agree. This whole PageRank thing is one big mystery and it seems as long as it remains that way, it shouldn’t have as much weight as it has.

By: dave mcclure

dave mcclure — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:39:02 +0000

if it doesn't matter, then why is it displayed so prominently in the toolbar?

come on -- by definition: if everyone sees it / thinks about it (& regardless of whether we're idiots or thoughtful SEO black hats), then OF COURSE it is relevant.

i agree with john -- if it doesn't matter so much, then KILL IT. (that is, remove it from toolbar).

if it does matter -- ie, Google doesn't remove it from being prominently displayed in the toolbar -- then more explanation / transparency / granularity would be appreciated.