Your Website Rankings : What It All Means
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If you have a website, especially one for your business, chances are you’ve heard the terms “search engine optimization” and “Google PageRank” thrown around at the water cooler. And if you work with some real techy- types, maybe you’ve even heard some buzz about “algorithms”. But knowing the lingo is one thing. Understanding what it all means-quite another. The good news is you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand the basics of Google’s ranking system.
First, you need to know what Search Engine Optimization (SEO) means. SEO is the process of revising, tweaking, and ‘optimizing’ your website in order to increase its rankings on the major search engines. So how exactly does PageRank work? That’s where it gets a little technical. But stay with me…
Google rates websites in two ways: relevance and PageRank. The relevance of a website is determined when Google’s programs (known as web crawlers or spiders) “read” through the content of a website looking for certain keywords that are specific to the type of website it is. This is why the more quality, pertinent content a website has, the more relevance Google gives it.
PageRank is the second aspect of Google’s system that rates any specific website on a scale of 0-10, with 0 being the least quality and 10 being the best. So why is so much value placed on a website’s PageRank number? That’s simple - because the highest ranked sites show up first when someone does a search on Google or Yahoo.
For example, let’s say you own a business in New York City that specializes in custom kitchen designs. Someone looking for that type of service types “Kitchen Design New York City” into Google’s search engine and hits enter. The highest ranked site will show up first on the search results. And human nature tells us that most people will start clicking from the top down. Therefore, the higher your PageRank, the higher on the search results your site shows up, and the more potential business you will receive.
So we know PageRank is important, but how exactly does Google determine which sites rank the highest? There are several ways, but the most value is placed by determining how many other websites link to your site. The more inbound links to your website, the higher your ranking will be. To further narrow down the results, Google goes so far as to rate outbound links to your site based on the credibility of the site that provided it (Fittingly, they determine that site’s credibility based on its PageRank number). The higher the ranking of the site that links to yours, the more valuable it is to increasing your own PageRank number.
So what about those algorithms? Actually it’s not as technical as it sounds. Basically, Google’s PageRank system is calculated on a logarithmic scale, which simply means that there is a set formula for the difference between each level of their PageRank system. In other words, a PageRank of 1 has a specific “base” logarithm that when multiplied by a certain power or exponent brings you to the next PageRank level. Google frequently changes their base algorithms, which sometimes results in a change in PageRank for your website. The good news is, if you follow “organic” SEO practices (which means you optimize your website via natural methods, such as content building and legitimate outbound link building) your PageRank should remain stable even with algorithm changes.
Speaking of organic SEO, while there are certainly varying opinions on the topic, most reputable SEO companies agree that organic is best. Like much in life, cutting corners and trying to buck the system when it comes to SEO won’t work long term.
Now that you know a little more of the inside scoop on Google’s PageRank system, the next time you’re at the water cooler you can toss around words like Algorithms, SEO, and link building with confidence because you actually understand what it means!
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