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Google Ditches PageRank in Webmaster Tools

It Still Remains in the Google Toolbar

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By · December 21, 2009 · 148 Comments

Google has quietly gotten rid of PageRank in Webmaster Tools. Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Roundtable points to a thread featuring an explanation from Google Webmaster Trends Analyst Susan Moskwa.

"We’ve been telling people for a long time that they shouldn’t focus on PageRank so much; many site owners seem to think it’s the most important metric for them to track, which is simply not true," says Moskwa. "We removed it because we felt it was silly to tell people not to think about it, but then to show them the data, implying that they should look at it."

Barry Schwartz Search marketers are wondering why Google tells people not to focus on PageRank and removes it from Webmaster Tools, but still keeps it in the Google Toolbar. "Back in 2007, Google wanted feedback on removing PageRank from the Toolbar," says Schwartz. "I felt it was a good idea but the idea died out. Google cannot remove PageRank from the Toolbar, it is too much of their branding. No matter how much Matt Cutts and the Google search quality and webmaster trends team want it removed, I cannot see Google’s executives allowing it."

Andy Beal of Marketing Pilgrim says the role of PageRank has been reduced to nothing more than a "comfort blanket for SEO Noobs." He adds, "I say this, with a high degree of confidence that most experienced SEOs pour over the data in Google Webmaster Tools, whereas those new to the industry likely let the toolbar be their only guiding light."

He also notes, however, that PageRank data can still be useful. For example, it can be a good indicator of a site’s behavior in Google’s index. "Any green means ‘go.’ No green, means there’s something to investigate," says Beal.

Despite this usefulness though, Moskwa pretty much closes the case on Google’s position on it. In fact, she even points to a FAQ page about crawling, indexing, and ranking, which says that webmasters shouldn’t even bother thinking about it. It also says that PageRank is just one of over 200 signals that can affect how your site is crawled, indexed, and ranked.

What are your thoughts on PageRank? Discuss below.

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There are 148 Comments. Add Yours.

  1. Clearly there are a variety of criteria that are used to calculate a webpage’s placement within Google’s SERPs. PageRank is only one.

    If you want evidence, check the PR for a number of different searches. You will find that some top-ranking webpages (and websites) have a lower PR than some of the lower-ranking webpages (and websites).

  2. How true that PR has little value, so take it with a grain of salt for minor observation in SEO.

    • I have taken the page rank off my toolbar. I look more to Bing and Yahoo. I think they are more accurate in their backlinks. Google doesn’t seem to be able to pick up backlinks. My website has had numerous backlinks other than search engines. They also tell you don’t link with someone who has the same products, but if you only link to a website with something similar they don’t consider that relevant. Relevant to me would be if you have baby gift baskets you would link to sites that had baby names, baby strollers, baby clothes, baby shoes. Not the same thing you have baby gift baskets.

  3. It’s true that Google has recently devalued the role PR has in determining who gets listed (especially for low competition phrases). But for highly competitive phrases it’s very obvious that PR AND favored sites rule. Search for debt settlement and you’ll see what I mean.

    They just don’t want to admit their system is still easy to manipulate and there result still aren’t so great. They are getting closer though.

    • I agree that their system is easily manipulated. It amazes me how others can do a rotation and Google still hasn’t. I tell everybody I know just because it’s on the first page and at the top doesn’t mean it is the best, they just have more money to invest.

  4. How about opening up some new metrics?

    How about “Word Rank”… and then dividing that into 200 or so individual scores which make it up?

    That would be nice…

  5. As a small Bay Area Web Design firm, we’ve always done well for our clients (SEO) in Yahoo and MSN for relevant keyword ranking.

    Google remains the difficult one for us & many others….and always will until they “actually” consider and place some more weight on many other factors… other than Page Rank and links. If in fact Google is taking off some of the SEO weight of Page Rank… it’s good news for all the “little guys”….. which by the way make up most of the work force in America (small businesses).

    Lets face it, your average small new local business will not be able to “ethically” obtain the valuable links and page rank necessary to make top search rankings Google in for years, if then.

    Your typical small local business will never achieve the means necessary to meet the $$$ criteria needed to fully SEO their websites competing against Big Boys like the hundreds of Directories and Commissionable link sites which spend untold amounts to obtain their top rankings in Google.

    Meanwhile, Directories, National outfits and other sites (often just commissionable link farms) which are not even located in the locale are making top search rankings. Simply doesn’t make much sense, especially to small local business owners.

    Do a search for say…. Miami insurance….. notice how many of the websites listed are actually insurance acencies/agents/companies actually located in Miami? Very few…..

    Aside from the “spamming” of so many Directory listings (which all have about the same content). You’ll see very few LOCAL miami insurance businesses making first 2-3 pages of search results.

    It’s twisted……. very much so… atleast in our opinion…..

    • I think they should do away with PR. I have also noticed Bing and Yahoo, which I look more at than Google, doesn’t take as long to figure out Backlinks to my website. Google picks up the Search Engines, but it takes them forever to pick up the the relevant site linking back.

  6. Many are still programmed to look at pagerank when considering the value of a website or a page. Advertisers want high page ranks or they will not advertise or might want discounts if the site isn’t at a certain level.

  7. Google how to judge the website level?

  8. True, Google not using it while displaying search result, still the linked pages are most important factor of results, but all other directory sites and advertisers use Google Page Rank and Alexa to determine the website value.

  9. What in hell are pagerank..only the serp’s is was i looking for ;-)

  10. Yea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I really wish they would pull the green ingot from the toolbar too!!!

    We can wipe out the whole links PR fascination and start using metrics like traffic volume and revenues earned!!!!!!

    I imagine a day taken from the Wizard of Oz where people sing “ding dong PR is dead”

  11. How true is this?????

    I think google are trying the cloak & dagger stuff

  12. Certain people just ignore the PR and looking for serp, then how to measure the value of website at first impression? Especially for those website that selling their ads space. Some of media buyer are looking for PR..isn’t it? Let say our website have a good serp, then how can we show the result to visitors and convince visitors to rent our ads space? PR certainly still necessary to measure website value..

    • PR is mostly Google’s attempt to get more folks to d/l their toolbar.

      Savvy advertisers know that it’s all about traffic/visits to make sales. Link popularity is overrated (IMO). Just post your analytics and statistics to show how much traffic your website receives. Most internet advertisers know enough to research their keyword phrases and see the Google, Yahoo, AOL and Bing results. From that information they should be able to determine where their potential customers are going, where to spend advertising dollars and how much to spend.

  13. I’m kinda confused by this from Google. It would be nice if there was more clarity on the matter. It would make sense to remove it from the toolbar if it is as irrelevant as they claim.

  14. I am not sure where I read it but I read that google give a college {Stanford University} a lot of shares of there company and each share right now is selling at $500+ so I cant believe they would just do away with the page rank but they do own the patent only its not in googles name its in Stanford University’s name.

  16. What’s with you guys? Being herded around like sheep – why is everyone walking around with blinkers? Hello, wake up! Search should not all be about Google. Tell me one good reason why Google should take over the world. Nearly 80% market share! That is crazy! What is the benefit of having just ONE search engine? So Google comes out with something called Pagerank – so what! It’s not used by Yahoo and Bing, it’s a Google thing which only confuses most Internet users. Pagerank can be manipulated by the jam sandwich pony-tailed SEOnerd brigade, therefore rendering its effectiveness useless. It can suck unsuspecting Internet users into unscrupulous websites, because the high pagerank will ignorantly have them believe they can safely shop there. Other than giving the nerdheads a run for their money, it brings ZERO to the Internet community. Well done to Bing and Yahoo for not having followed this white elephant nonsense.

    • Google has already taken over the search world in my opinion and they bring 80 to 90% of the traffic to your site. Seems only logical to “follow them” and it certainly doesn’t mean we are all sheep. If you don’t like Google then don’t Google, no one says you must use it ;-)

      • I really do not believe that “Google is the best SE”; however, what choice do I have when they have 80%+ of the market share, but to use them and keep up with their updates? Especially, when they provide me with a minimum of 70% + of the traffic to my sites.

        RE: page rank.. When a surfer searches the Internet, page rank has no influence on what is returned and indexed in the first 1-5 pages for that search. Therefore, the importance is so simple! SERP is what will make or break any website and whether the web site displays on the first returned pages.

        B. Robert

  17. One should always focus on their search engine keyword rankings and not on PR.

    I have sites that have PR2 and rank in top 10 for keywords that have 600,000 searches

  18. The best summary that I’ve seen on Google PR makes the point that it is:

    Useful
    - Google uses it to communicate sometimes when there’s a problem. Remember when the paid link people’s page rank dropped to zero? It was a warning shot which was better than immediately dropping them in the index. As he says, green means GO.

    Misleading
    - I don’t see anyone else trying to explain what the visible Google PR actually is. I read that it’s a simple count of incoming links which ignores relevance and quality. And that it is often a totally misleading indicator of the weight that Google assigns to that page and those links.

  19. With all the manipulation and link juices channeling of pagerank in SEO work, it is little wonder that they want it removed from plain view but having it under the radar. It doesn’t do good and defeats the purpose of pagerank when more and more webmasters are preferring nofollow outgoing links on their sites. Thus preventing the real function of the pagerank in acccurately picturing the overall real web linking.

    Remove it and let it do its real work instead. Very nice strategy!

  20. I think all this hoopla over everything google does is crazy.I am concentrateing my efforts on yahoo.

  21. I think Google should remove the concept of Page Rank, and then webmasters would give importance to content rather than LINKS. I for one need to see more current data on a site but if I just use PR I

  22. I hadn’t noticed on Webmaster Tools, with all the other cool stuff there! I’m glad it will still be on Google Toolbar. It’s the only thing on Google Toolbar I actually use. I realize PR is not everything, just something. But most tools for SEO and SEM are as well. Just another tool.

    Google is awesome – so good it can scary. Yahoo SiteExplorer is cool, though not quite as cool as Google Webmaster Tools. Does Miscrosoft have any thing similar? Why can Google out compete the comeptition? Is that why they are number 1?

  23. I think Google should DEFINITELY keep PR on the Google toolbar as that is the only reason I use it. I think it is not the end-all, but a good relative indicator of a site.

  24. I agree with the other postings, stop concentrating on PR so much, and concentrate on content. IT’s rediculas to think a website ranks high because of exchanges, where as it should rank higher because of the info provided.

    http://www.freecasinocorner.com

  25. Most of you guys do not see the game behind what Google is preaching and doing…
    Have you forgotten when Google wanted webmasters to spy and submit sites that
    were selling links? Only them – Google may do such a thing, which of course is crap!
    PR has been important and will continue to be important for webmasters with sites
    that are selling links – think webdirectories, blogs and whatnot.
    What Google wanted was to punish sites selling links with “dofollow” that were
    spreading PR juice to other sites, and being as powerful as God in Heaven is what
    Google has been after all along, so, as long as the SEO and webmaster communities
    keep doing what Google is preaching we are all doomed…

  26. I can’t even log into my Webmaster dashboard at the moment because Google seems to have messed up my password which works for some things but not others. I must say I do like to know what ranking other sites have: it endorses them for me. And I like to know that my own is validated in the same way. Perhaps I’m being naive . . .

  27. Johnson
    Reply

    It’s all about ranking with the key words. If you could hit those, doesn’t matter what your google ranking is.

    Johnson
    Tweble
    Tracking over 1 million discussions worldwide
    http://www.tweble.com

    • Thank you Johnson! Amen to your comment. PR is a joke and always has been. I’m getting the buying traffic I need when someone is looking for my product. I haven’t spent dime one with a SEO or anybody else. I target my market, that is it! \o/ Woohoo!

  28. Actually pagerank only worthful when you have an attempt to sell or buy links. For years it’s like a hard currency for web-based business ;)

  29. Good SEO website masters would never be that impressed by the PR bar it is only a rough guide.

  30. global warming
    Reply

    Page rank or should we say “P” rank for some brains?
    Whether they include a P rank or not is really not necessary. But it does for a novice give them some idea of what and how their site is doing. It also reflects which sites one should target for certain directions.

    • Guest
      Reply

      Geeze, dude. Take a Valium and chill out. I followed your link and you came across like a 13 year old bible thumping kid trying to sell his lemonade. Get a spell checker and learn proper grammar.
      Your page is obviously a poor attempt to get some sucker to click on an ad so you can make a few cents while preaching the end of the world.
      Oh, you can take basic HTML training on the web for free. Your page looks extremely poor. Were you drunk or stoned when you wrote it?
      Just Google “learn beginning HTML.” You can also hire a twelve year old kid to write your page for you for the cost of a single beer.
      Good luck selling your ‘magic free energy machine.’

    • Guest
      Reply

      There is a place for people to expose their political beliefs and this is not the place!

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