A Better Way To Increase Your PageRank

Many publishers think the quickest way to garner a decent PageRank or PR rating is to get sites that have high PageRank to link to them. The thought is that if a page with a high PageRank links to you, its PageRank transfers to you. While this is somewhat true, the process is more involved.

The reality is that Google's algorithm for determining PageRank only allows pages to pass along their own PageRank number divided by the number of outbound links it has on that particular page. This means that the PageRank that "rubs off" might not be all that it's cracked up to be.

This, in a nutshell, means that if you managed to get a site with a PR of 8 to link to you, you won't get a ranking of 8 or even close to it. For example, if this site already has 3 outgoing links and you make 4, the PR passed to each site would be 2 units, rather than 8. On top of this, the high PageRank is very likely on the site's home page, not its internal links page, where your link would appear. The PR that's passed on depends only on the PR of the page where the link appears.

Considering that many high ranked sites have lots of outbound links, it can become painfully clear that these might not be the best places to go for reciprocal links to boost one's own PageRank.

A better way does exist. It involves targeting sites that have modest PR ratings, but that are likely to improve. As long as the sites have good content and are reputable, they can pay off very well. Targeted lower PageRank sites might not seem like a good strategy, but it is.

There are a variety of reasons why these sites can work better in the long run. The top is the fact it is simply generally much easier to get a lower PageRank site to put outbound links on it. These sites are also very likely to agree to put links on their front pages and they might even go along with using keywords in them that can help with Google. In addition, these sites probably don't have a ton of outbound links. While all of these reasons are very appealing, the most intriguing might be the potential these sites have to grow their PageRank and yours along with them. If good sites are chosen, the potential can be rather high.

When selecting sites to target, avoid those that have a PageRank bar that's white or gray. This is an indication that the site has no ranking whatsoever or that is has been banned. Gray sites can actually have a negative impact.

If you're still scratching your head about the value of lower ranked sites, just do the math. A link from a page that's ranked at PR 4 and only has two outbound links will give you a PR boost of 2. A page that's PageRank is 8 with 16 outbound links will only give you a PR boost of .5. Which makes more sense? Obviously, it's better to target the lower PR site in this example.

Article Source: http://www.a1-articledirectory.com

Author Jeff Alderson develops PPC and SEO software. He is an expert on boosting traffic and sales. Jeff suggests building a profitable keyword list using his Ad Word Analyzer program to increase website revenue.
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