Any website worth its weight courts recognition from the Google Search Engine. What makes Google the best and most coveted, is its ranking algorithm which is the most up to date and as complex as it ever gets. A good Page Rank (PR) blessing from Google can make or break a website’s standing in the online arena. So what exactly is all the hype and excitement about? Why is a high Google Page Rank such an enigma and evasive?

Google trademarked ‘Page Rank’ is an algorithm to determine the relative importance of a particular page among a set of related and complementary pages. In simple words, the better a web page’s Page Rank, higher it ranks and gets top display on the Google search engine results pages. The numerical grading that ranges from 0 – 10, takes into account 100s of millions of variables and billions of terms. Google rules the internet world and pages that seem important to it rank higher and better. Google’s Page Rank algorithm besides being elaborate and complex, cannot be tricked or cheated and is thus accepted as the best and most reliable.

According to Google besides content, the Page Rank of a page mainly depends on 3 crucial factors:

• The relevance and quality/Page Rank of incoming links.
• The amount of link juice that the incoming link simultaneously distributes to other linked pages.
• The amount of inbound links

The basic formula that – more the number of inbound links coming to a web page, higher will be its ranking is easily understood. But what is even more crucial is the factor that the inbound links of the highest PR are useless if irrelevant and out of context. The links received must be contextual, complementary and relevant, or else Google is smart enough to recognize manipulation.

The quality of an inbound link depends on 2 parameters. Higher the PR of the incoming link (i.e. the Page Rank improves in the ascending order with 0 being least, PR 4/5 being good and PR 10 being the best) better link value it provides to the web page. But if a high PR page is also sending out links to multiple other pages besides the page in question, then the link juice evenly gets distributed between all the receiver pages. Thus a PR 7 page with 20 outbound links will provide less PR value as compared to a similar PR page with only 4 outgoing links. In this context, it is sometimes better to receive links from maybe a PR 6 website but which gives very few or no outbound links at all.

Another point worth noticing is the fact that it is hugely believed (although no one knows for sure) that the climb up the ladder from PR 0 to PR 10 gets more and more difficult and treacherous as you move up every step. What that actually means is that the Page Rank model uses a logarithmic grading system instead of a simple one where the move from PR 1 to 2 is as difficult as moving from PR 5 to 6. Instead according to widespread belief, it is simple to jump up from the lower PR rungs but the journey gets tougher as you keep moving ahead with the topmost PR 9 and 10 being almost unattainable!

The relevance of Page Rank gets reflected every time a query is made on the Google Search Engine. Google first compiles all the pages relevant to the query and then displays them according to their PR. Thus higher the PR more is the visibility of your page. Page Rank is also the tool to keep track of your SEO efforts. If your site PR moves up with the current SEO techniques being employed, that means you are on the right track; if not, it is time for a strategy change!

Every online or offline business has at some point of time come across the terms – Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Directory Submission and Backlinks. What exactly are they, what’s their impact on each other and why the heck should you bother about them??

Quality, long term SEO is the building block for any and every website. Website optimization is nothing but a set of strategies to boost your website’s visibility and popularity with the search engines in order to encourage customer confidence and to attract more and more customers for your business.

Amongst the various on-page and off-page techniques for SEO of a website, the most popular, frequently used and effective method is Directory Submission/Listing. Similar to a telephone book or Yellow Pages, there are online directories in the general, niche, regional, international etc. categories. To facilitate recognition and early indexation of your website by the search engines; to help interested surfers track down your website and for high Google Page Rank (PR) of your site; you must ensure to submit your site to quality authority directories. In order to safe guard against rejection or being banned as spam, make sure to submit only to search engine recognized, high PR, authority directories. Another important consideration is to submit to the correct category of the directory in accordance with the set guidelines. Regular directory listings in the prescribed manner can catapult your website into the realms of the most coveted and sought after!

Another method to garner the support and points from search engines like Google is to get loads and loads of back links! But quantity must be complemented with quality too. Poor quality and irrelevant back links are not only useless must might even adversely affect your website rankings. Buying links, reciprocating links or link farming is generally discouraged by Google and in extreme cases a website might even be penalized! The best links are one way, inbound links from relevant sites that are better ranked than your site. In case the links are organic, i.e. automatically generated because the link provider loves the look and feel of your site and is impressed with the quality and uniqueness of your site’s content, consider it a JACKPOT! Organic back links are self sustainable and long term that acknowledge the genuineness of your site and accept it within the class category. What’s more, they are free and you need not even provide any reciprocal links in return.

SEO, directory listings and back links – all work in tandem with each other. Where the ultimate purpose of every website is to pull as many visitors and customers, a well optimized website with comprehensive SEO, high PR directory submissions and quality organic inbound links can do wonders. A well optimized website that is easy to navigate through deep links and has great content that is regularly updated automatically pulls other similar sites like magnet which feel privileged to link back to such a class unique site!