Explaining the Duality of PageRanking

PageRank is simply a way for Google to measure the relative importance of each web page in its index, based on the frequency they’re referred to throughout the internet. A more technical approach defines PageRank as being a link analysis algorithm.

But PageRank is more complex than meats the eye... For starters there are two types of PageRank:

First, there is the Real PageRank destined for Google use exclusively and...

Secondly, there is the visible PageRank showing up with the PR Toolbar; this is used by webmasters and SEO developers to estimate Google's trust towards a given domain or webpage.

Although they have the same building principles - build quality back links, the real PageRank's values are much higher and can even reach millions.

According to the popular toolbar PR mechanism, all the indexed pages are separated into 11 different ranges, based on their appointed value.

Short case study: Take for example two webpages, one with toolbar PR 3, the second - 6. The Real PR difference between these two is not double. As a matter of fact, is a lot higher.

Unfortunately no one knows how Google calculates the PR value of a page or where are those breaking points - that determine the 11 grades - built.

Yet we do understand one thing about Google’s workings and it is important to understand this in the dual nature of PageRank.We know that each level has a value which is exponentially larger than the previous level, and it is this that makes the transition harder to make. So in understanding the PageRank mechanism, you must be fully aware that the difference for a transition from page 3 to 4 is so much greater than the previous transition was from page 2 to 3.

These are some helpful steps to help you understand the mechanism more readily:

1. Google ranks webpages and not websites.

2. The values listed on the PageRank Toolbar coincide with a wide range of real PageRank. This means that the real PageRank values can differ greatly or be close together for two consecutive toolbar PR levels of 1 and 2, for example.

3. All things being equal,a considerable quantity of back links emanating from the same web domain will score lowly as fewer back links coming from different domains.

4. Each webpage is at first given a small PageRank known as (1-d), in which "d" is changeable and is governed what is known as the Google damping factor". When first assigned, "d" has a score of 0.85 and this translates into the first real PageRank of each page at a value of 0.15. Another example of the dual nature of PageRank.

5. In order for a web page to reach the top scoring end of the Toolbar, it must continue to amass an increasing quantity of inbound links.

6. Every quarter of the year PageRank Toolbar is updated. In between, Google updates the real PageRank on a continuous basis to provide up-to-date rankings. It's one of the reasons why some web pages with poor toolbar PageRank have better SERPs positions then other with superior figures.

7. PageRank is configured to analyze the link structure significance of a web page.

After Google assembles a quantity of web pages within its index, it then rates them for integrity and popularity by assessing the quantity of links referring back to those pages. But there are other considerations too.

How PageRank Flows. Short Notes::

• A web page receives PageRank by getting inbound links from other pages.

• Links that emanate from other pages in the same website, or that come from completely different domains are given similar ratings providing those other pages bear the same PageRank values.

• Web pages won't lose PageRank because they link to other pages. It's just passed along to the linked webpages. Google appreciates an open policy for relevant outbound linking as opposed to PageRank sculpting practices.

• The amount of PageRank passed to other webpages is divided by the total number of outbound links leaving the page.

• Finally, due to the damping factor, an incoming link is maximized at 85% of its value.