The practice of Search Engine Optimization began almost as soon as keyword-based algorithms began powering search forms on the internet. One of the initial and positively the most famous was Google, whose keyword-based algorithm was supplemented by a links based authority element, PageRank a numerical value allocated to take into account the number of times a link to the page in question was found in the search engine s index.
The focus for SEO was then, as it is now, in Optimising Content and working with off-site factors to return high assignment in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) for predetermined Keywords. How much can a search engine change in a year? If its Google, the answer is a lot. Best SEO practices rapidly can twist into web page death sentences if you’re not careful. But even if you don t have time to keep your finger on the pulse of the ever-changing search industry, you're in luck. A new infographic and report from Searchmetrics have done a lot of the work for you. It analyzes and distils the information you need to know.
Google s Definition: PageRank As Votes
Let s start with what Google says. In a nutshell, it considers links to be like votes. In addition, it considers that some votes are more important than others. PageRank is Google s system of counting link votes and determining which pages are most important based on them. These scores are then used along with many other things to determine if a page will rank well in a search. When Google talks about PageRank at its site, it often links to the Google Technology page, which says: The heart of our software is PageRank ¢, a system for ranking web pages developed by our founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin at Stanford University. And while we have dozens of engineers working to improve every aspect of Google on a daily basis, PageRank continues to play a central role in many of our web search tools.
PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page s value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at considerably more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; for example, it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves important weigh more heavily and help to make other pages important. Using these and other factors, Google provides its views on pages relative importance. Source: Google, Search Engine Land