In fact, it’s a consistent question. It always makes me smile when I hear or see this question asked, because I remember the whirlwind craze that Page Rank caused a few years back, when having the best Page Rank was all the rage. Website owners of all types scrambled to get higher numbers, though none of them quite knew how. They hired people to find other businesses to link with them and to write articles that could be used as link bait. Some even went as far as full site redesigns and having copy written with a high density of the site’s most searchable terms in hopes that it would raise the site’s PR. In the latter case, all it did was create copy that made the average person’s eyes want to bleed.

A Crazy Mathematical Conundrum Applied to the Web

Today, Page Rank still seems to be important, especially to marketers and those involved in PR. However, it still is not clear how Page Rank is determined. Back in the day, we used to write articles for Page Rank obsessed companies about the Google Page Rank Algorithm. The Algorithm combined complex mathematics with a little bit of luck. Google would not explain exactly how this Algorithm tallied Page Rank. They also were said to frequently change the Algorithm, to prevent crafty, mathematically-inclined individuals from figuring the Algorithm out.

To this day, it is still not clear what kind of things Google uses to penalize websites in the Page Rank department. With each new update, blogs and businesses bounce between seemingly unrelated ranks, moving up and down and causing a lot of speculation as to why the changes have occurred. There is no rhyme nor reason to why a Page Rank has changed, and frankly, we’ve seen it cause panic amongst the masses who freak out at any small tweak to their Page Rank.

It’s Really a Cat and Mouse Game…

….And…lets not forget that some popular websites/blogs have had their Page Rank dropped by Google for a myriad of reasons, despite the popularity of the site/blog. These are the infamous ones who decry Page Rank by principle. If Google does not wish a site to reap the benefits of Page Rank, they can, essentially, pull rank and deem the site unworthy in Google’s mind. We’ve seen these kinds of plays made by Google before. We can argue semantics and ethics, but Google controls Page Rank, therefore Google, justly, has prime say over what they do to or with each site’s Page Rank. Their site, their rules, and therefore, there should not be as much stock put into Google Page Rank.

We should add that some sites do deserve to be lowered in Page Rank, because they have cheated the system. We are not speaking with knowledge into specific cases nor saying Google has intentionally lowered a Page Rank out of spite. We are merely pointing out that Google is run by human employees, which means there is a chance for human error to occur in judgments made concerning Page Rank.

Why Page Rank Shouldn’t Matter, But Does

Honestly, Page Rank is still dictating who will work with you and in what capacity. Sure, it does not hold the same amount of weight it did a few years ago, but some people still give a damn about Page Rank. That means you should care, at least a little bit. Do not make raising your Page Rank the end all be all of your business, but don’t slough off on your obligation to keep traffic coming to your website and actively pursue getting people to link to it, either. The key is to keep a fresh flow of new visitors, as well as those you can count on to come back again and again, providing fresh and innovative copy on a regular and consistent basis, and offering something to your audience that others in your niche don’t offer.

It’s all About Quality vs. Quantity

Where we see Google Page Rank failing the most is in the Quality vs. Quantity market. In the end, it comes down to quality, plain and simple. It is far better to have 500 loyal visitors who invest themselves in your website and what it has to offer, because you provide a quality service, than 2,000 fly-by night visitors who stop by to see what is going on, but don’t stick around for the long haul. Google Page Rank only works in numbers, that much is apparent, be it the number of visitors, links in to your site, or the number of pages you pump out as new content (or a mish-mash of all three). It does not matter if you have great content initially. If you have no traffic, and nobody is going to your site at all, then chances are, your Page Rank is not going to move.

Take Note: We truly believe that if you work to maintain the highest level of standards and quality for your website, then they will eventually come and quality will attribute to quantity…BUT…will it guarantee a decent Page Rank for your site? That much is anyone’s guess.

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