Why SEO Is More than Just Page Rank

Nowadays, the success of SEO has become almost entirely linked to
Google Page Rank. And although the page rank system is of course vital in determining a site’s status, the reasons why it so vital might be quite different compared to what many people think.

Especially since Google introduced the Panda and Penguin systems, the page rank indicator has become synonymous with quality. But to really understand what hides behind those numbers, we have to look into how the system truly works.

Even though it fits like a glove, the PageRank does not originally, or at least only, refer to how high up a site is ranked. It is actually originated from the creator of this new algorithm, Larry Page, who together with his team of technical whiz-kids developed this system.

And then what kind of services is it that this algorithm performs that makes it so unique? Well first things first, it scopes the whole picture of a site, taking into account the number of backlinks the site has. This is to determine the influence and relevance of the site to others operating in the same topic area.

The algorithm also judges the website design and how smoothly it is to navigate in, as well as taking into account the number of spam links and duplicate material on the site. It has become an ongoing process to fight black hat SEO techniques, but still it exists, primarily through the use of fake links or hidden links.

And maybe in contrast to popular belief, they can still be effective. It is like in real life, as laws and the possibility of enforcing those laws develop so do the criminal techniques of working around these new laws.

So there are a lot of intelligent people who are more devoted to cheating the system then working within it, and they posses the ability of picking the new systems apart and thoroughly scrutinizing what the algorithm is actually asking for. In discovering that, it might not lead to the best content being posted on that site, but rather an effective way of working around it.

So to be absolutely certain of a site’s relevance and the quality of its content, the most proficient way is still to actually read it and see it with your very own eyes. Because even though the battle cry of “content is king” has been screamed from the hilltops of SEO factories, the war is not entirely over.

The Panda and Penguin updates that have been introduced to the market have cleansed up quite a deal in the murky backwaters of black hats and content farms. But the mere fact that these systems themselves have seen updates no less than 86 times in two months is a revealing factor as to the ongoing process to battle black hat SEO techniques.

But still, the future is looking a lot brighter than it used to, and SEO is well on its way to become synonymous to high quality.