A few years ago there was so much discussion on this love-hate topic among bloggers, Internet Marketers and even from the horses mouth – Google. There was even speculation that Google might even totally stop pageranking all sites to prevent people’s obsession with this little green bar from getting worse. It didn’t happen and personally I don’t think it ever will.

Google came out very strongly then and reminded all concerned parties that page rank, was just one of many factors that Google used to determine search engine ranking. Google now called it their 200 signals that their search engine ranking algorithms rely on. I believe this completely as I can see it for myself too. I’ve seen so many of my websites with Google PR0 beating the likes of many other websites with higher page rank simply because of other factors like exact domain keyword. I believed that page rank influences about 20 percent of your search engine ranking.

What Do I Think of Page Rank?

I definitely prefer to see page rank remain because it is a good measurement and acknowledgement by Google of how well perceived my sites are. I also rely on the PR of sites to access a site quickly for all my daily work like backlink building, or when trying to search for credible information.

I also rely on sites PR for my keyword research work.

What Do You Think of Page Rank?

Well do share with us how important page rank is to you and your online business.Similar Posts:

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Getting that relatively high page rank PR 4 for my Home Internet Business Homepage 2 weeks ago came with some mixed feelings for me. I admit when my homepage had gotten a PR1 a long time ago, I was more overjoyed than getting my PR4 now. Now why is that so you might ask?

Well that’s because in our internet marketing journey we learned that page rank though important contributes only about 10% of what Google uses to give ranking to our search terms. ( page rank: 10%, page content: 30%, backlinks: 60% ). So it doesn’t sound like a big deal, right? Or is it?

It’s not like I’m going to get much richer with this PR4 but then again getting a high page rank is a recognition of what I have done on my homepage and it didn’t come overnight. It’s the same sense of satisfaction whenever I succeeded in something small but fulfilling that has kept me going all this while. Call it a little boost to my ego a little bit with this new PR status. While I’m not over the moon with a page rank PR4, I’m happy it came. It just reaffirms the approaches of some of my work particularly my link building strategy, which I’ve practiced and shared with everyone here.

Let me share with you what I think may have helped me get my page rank PR4 in a chronological list of important events:

1. Link Building:I researched and followed some of the best SEO practices including one from a good friend of mine Scott Coplen’s SEO Tips. I wrote a 5-part blog series documenting and sharing with everyone what I’ve learned. Have you read any of my Link Building Strategy-5 Part Series?

2. Getting Backlinks:I think at some point in time, you could say I focused a little too much in getting backlinks. This post The Easiest Way To Get Backlinks Starts Here described pretty close how fanatic I was in getting lots of backlinks. You could say my quest for backlinks started from here.

3. Blog Commenting: One of the easiest ways I found in getting lots of backlinks is through blog commenting. I didn’t believe it at first so I took up a personal challenge and started an experiment to see if it really works.  At the end of the test I have to say yes it sure did, but not before learning a lesson on How Blog Commenting Got Me 1200 Backlinks in 5 Days. Here are some backlinks growth statistics Oct 2008: 1566 inbound links; Mar 2009:12,873 inbound links.

4. Top Search Engine Ranking: There were already some signs of Google noticing me, or rather, my backlinks growth although most times, we really cannot tell exactly this number in Google. But I started seeing more keyword phrases getting to top search engine rankings. The most noticeable keywords “Work From Home Ideas” and Work At Home Ideas made it to Google Top 10 in Nov 2008. They have stayed on the first page till today.  Well that’s another challenge, keeping it there.

Another of my favorite keyword phrase “Home Internet Business” lies on 12th placing out of 174,000,000 in Google, waiting, just waiting…..

5. Link Exchanges: Don’t underestimate the benefits of doing link exchanges, laborious as it may seem. While #3 focused more on getting quantity of backlinks, my search became a little more intensive hunting for quality backlinks too. The post “The Easiest Natural Link Building To Search Engine Success” takes a look at how important it is in doing link exchanges with others. I focused exclusively in link exchange with other sites with high page rank. The funniest part is that many people approached me first to do these link exchange too, some with high page rank PR5. If you’re still not convinced that quality links are better than quantity links, you can read more in  “10 Back Link Building Techniques Bloggers Often Missed (Part 3)”

“Getting a few of the right links, from the right places can be more valuable than getting 100 links from the wrong places.” – Jim Boykin

“How easy is it to get Page Rank PR4

Well I’ll let this table provide you the quick answer:

Disclaimer: This table may not be the most accurate calculation of the number of backlinks you will require to get your desired PR so please use it only as a good benchmark in your link building.

You can see the full chart here:

How long did I take to get Page Rank PR4

The quick answer would be how long have I had this homepage and it’s 20 months. So does it really take me 20 months to achieve a PR4 ranking? Of course not because I’m a part time blogger working only 4 hours a day and if you’re a full time blogger, you could well achieve it much faster. Like I said before it’s relatively easy, if you follow an organized plan.

My Final Thoughts

While in the truest sense, page rank having a 10% influence over your top search engine ranking may seem insignificant, it is nevertheless an important part of the equation:

PR (10%) + Quality Contents (30%) + Backlinks (60%) = Top Search Engine Success

It is also a highly regarded metric used by advertisers seeking out advertising opportunities in all online niche markets and blogs, besides the usual Alexa and Technorati Rankings.

For me the excitement is already over and the real task has begun.  I believe that getting a high PR4 is relatively easy but maintaining it is the bigger challenge. And of course the fact that Google has the final say in changing the way page rank is calculated, makes it even more challenging to maintain a high page rank.

For reference:
Understanding Google Page Rank
How Did Google Calculate Your PR?

Over to you…what have you to say about getting high page rank, how you got yours and does it really matter to you if you are PR1 or PR10. Why or why not?

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