What is PageRank Anyway?

PageRank, in essence, is the technology that gave Google the status for being the world's best search engine. Back in the early days and as it is today, it greatly improved the accuracy and relevancy of a search response to a user query. It is a formula, or algorithm, that rates a web site page by how many quality and authoritative web pages link to it. In a very democratic way, Google generates its PageRank results from how many good "votes" a particular web page has.

A classic example of this is getting your site listed in the famous Open Directory Project, or DMOZ.org, directory. Once, or if, your site receives the approval of the DMOZ editors and is listed, you can expect a PageRank increase of at least one. Why? The DMOZ editors are considered authorities on their particular category and Google knows this. Google has already awarded DMOZ with a very high PageRank and trusts their judgment. Since DMOZ thinks that you are good enough to receive their approval, Google will take this as a "vote" for your site and award you accordingly.

Of course there is more to this than just getting listed in a web directory. To have a really good PageRank, Google will look at how many relevant high PageRank sites are linking to you. A thousand sites linking to you that are not relevant, or significantly related to your subject or theme, really do not account for much. But a hundred sites or web directories that have a higher PageRank than yours and are considered related or have applicable categories for your subject or theme, will be seen by Google as a significant boost to your PageRank.

So how do you get relevant sites to link to you? Has you can imagine, it is no easy task. It is easier if your site is chuck-full of great unique content and or has something original to offer such as an exclusive program or online tool. Even then, you need to let other webmasters and content editors know that you exist.

You can start by joining blogs, forums, and specific groups and gently make reference to your site. You can also write articles and have them circulated through the many article distribution directories out there. One great, but time consuming way, is to write an email to the sites that you'd like to have a link from and simply introduce yourself, explain your site's topic or theme, and invite them to visit. Don't mention that you are trying to get a link or a review, let them make that decision. Also, don't forget to get your site listed in as many smaller, niche web directories!

Getting a great PageRank is not easy. If it were, everybody would be enjoying their rankings and a high ranking wouldn't matter much. But if you've done your leg work - have your site search engine optimized, are listed in many quality niche web directories, and invited all of your peer sites to visit - your efforts will be rewarded. Just be extremely patience! As with all good things, it will be worth waiting for.