What is PageRank?

Google ranks every web page using a breakthrough technique called PageRank (PR).

PageRank (PR) Technology: PageRank (created by Larry Page) reflects Google's view of the importance of web pages by considering more than 500 million variables and 2 billion terms. Web pages that Google believes are important web pages receive a higher PageRank and are more likely to appear at the top of the search results.

Google works because it relies on the millions of individuals posting websites to determine which other sites offer content of value. Instead of relying on a group of editors or solely on the frequency with which certain terms appear, Google ranks every web page using a breakthrough technique called PageRank™. PageRank evaluates all of the sites linking to a web page and assigns them a value, based in part on the sites linking to them. By analyzing the full structure of the web, Google is able to determine which sites have been "voted" the best sources of information by those most interested in the information they offer. This technique actually improves as the web gets bigger, as each new site is another point of information and another vote to be counted.

As complicated as PageRank is to figure out, Google has also developed a new ranking system, called PigeonRank. :)

PageRank is just one of many indicators of your web site. The best indicator is your customer's satisfaction about your web site. You should focus on developing good informative content that will keep your readers coming back.

According to Matt Cutts, "Roughly every 3-4 months we take a snapshot of PageRank values and export them so that the new values are visible in the Google Toolbar."

In my opinion, don't put too much concern into whatever number Google assigns you, because it is likely not current. But, if you really want to look at the formula used by Google, here is the PageRank Formula Explained.

(Source: Google - Tech Overview, Google - Corp Info, Matt Cutts Blog)

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