How Can I get a Google Page Rank and What is it?
Firstly, let us explain that the Google Page Rank PR is just one of its over 100 factors it uses to measure your websites importance and it is not the be all and end all of your websites performance.
To first see your Google PR you need to install the Google Toolbar, go to www.google.com and click MORE and scroll down and you will see the Google Toolbar icon which if you click and follow the instructions you can install the tool bar on your browser. Then you need to click on options in the toolbar and add Page Rank and Info option once you have added these features to your new Google tool bar you will be able to see a small green bar appear every time you visit a website, if you hover your mouse over this bar it will tell you that this measure is something that Google uses to measure the importance of that site.
What does this Google Page Rank mean to you
It would seem that Google are apprehensive about letting the new kid on the block push their website up the listing and ranking without earning some time in the wilderness. The theory behind this is that 'older' sites have stood the test of time and weathered all storms and if still standing does justify a certain degree of respect for being around for some time. We all know that Google value backward links to sites as a measure of the importance given to a site from other sites as a sign of good value. The more links your site has acquired in principal the better Google views your site.
Some programmers have devised methods of creating links to a new site even before it was indexed to effectively 'grandfather' the new site to give it some age just like the process of distressing furniture to make it look antique. This trick fools the naive and ignorant but it doesn't fool the experts or Google for long.
Only time can give your site the expected numbers of related links and if you try to artificially push the clock forward then Google will know. This 'Grandfather' technique is well known to Google and their algorithm can spot it.
A similar technique is to make reproduction furniture look old and antique known as 'distressing' this technique has been fooling would be antiques buyers for years and is nothing new. As artists have been recreating copies of masters for centuries excellent 'forgeries'. So the technique of making a website appear to be older by creating a batch of links in bulk or artificially is just the internets version of trying to fool the system, eventually you get caught.
!In short a new site should really start out with very few links as its nature its new and therefore not been seen by many other website owners / webmasters so how can a new site start its life with 300 backwards links from other sites.
This method is still in practice by some less scrupulous web design companies and to the untrained eye appears to work, but be warned it wont work for long. Google are certainly aware of this technique and class the practice as a ' black hat' technique which can cause your new website to be removed from their directory and possibly banned all together.
!A new web site should gain popularity in time with other web sites IF the content of the website is relevant and of good standing. In other words your new website will gain new links if you are worthy of them and as time goes by the more links of quality you acquire the high ranking and levels of importance will Google assign to your website.
You have to earn your feathers and get through your apprenticeship period before you can be given the Google seal of approval.
This is known as the Goggle Sandbox Effect
One would think in this age of fair competition it would be hard to believe that a search engine would try to hinder the performance by holding back a new website or is it more a case of weeding out the artificial sites that are being manipulated by unscrupulous webmasters and SEO companies who try to out wit the Search Engine and leap frog the system.
How Long Does This Sandbox Effect Last?
That is a very good question and one that only Google knows and is not telling
but it certainly seems to be for a number of months maybe 3 or up to 6 months.
Effectively Google are placing on hold the relevance of all links to a new
site in a probationary period to see if the website can still survive before
any page rank is awarded to the new website.
However, your website is not hindered as much as the links that are reciprocated
from other users. Newer links that are created are put on a "probationary" status
until again they pickup in rank from other matured sites or placed directly
by an ad campaign. The idea behind the hindrance is to prevent a fast ranking
to occur on a new website. The usual holding period seems to be between 3
to 6 months before a site would start obtaining a page rank from reciprocal
or back linking.
Some advice has been given to new web site owners to have companies you are
going to reciprocate back add your link first to the website. This may reduce
the waiting time associated with "new" websites. Some web site owners
have witnessed a 0 page rank when first sign up and receiving a staggering
5 page ranking after only 6 months. This delay is deliberate as if people
realized how easy it would be to get a high ranking, this would take away
the credibility of the engine. Theories abound and it depends on whom you
ask, but it does seem to be happening more often to new websites. Our advice
is to continue back linking with other reputable and mostly relevant websites
and your website page rank will eventually appear.
What is my Google Page Rank?
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