Google Page Rank

In determining how Google friendly your website is, consider its Google Page Rank. Page Rank is the rating that Google gives a website to indicate its value and level of importance. Page Rank, given as a number from one to ten with ten being the highest, is then used to determine the relevance of an individual page to a search enquiry. The higher the Page Rank, the higher the website’s position in search results.

More than 200 factors go into determining a site’s Page Rank.
Some of these are:

• Link structure and traffic: Google interprets a link from one web page to another as a vote towards the importance of that page. However, all votes are not equal and Google considers more than just the sheer volume of links a page receives. As explained on Google.com: “Google also analyses the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves important have more weight and help to make other pages important.” The point is not to create backward links from any and every website in an effort to cheat the system; think quality not quantity. The fewer the links from a website the greater their influence on the Google rating of the site receiving those links. Also, links from directories and article sites are discounted.
• Copy Content: The importance of a web page by links and traffic alone is not enough for it to rank highly in search results. The page must also be relevant and Google uses sophisticated text-matching techniques to find pages that match a user’s enquiry. The keywords entered into the search must appear in the text just enough times for Google to be satisfied of its relevance. Careful though, if a keyword appears too many times Google deems it to be ‘cheating’ and bans the page. Also, good quality copy is essential; the text must be correct and well written, coherent and read well. Google examines dozens of aspects of the page's content, as well as the content of the pages linked to it.
• User Generated Content: Google will also index the site higher if it has user generated content such as blogs. While proving that the site is interesting enough for the user to contribute or comment, user generated content also indicates to Google that the site is popular. User generated content earns extra points because it is unbiased and democratic by nature.
• Domain: The domain itself can be an indicator of the site’s credibility. When the website has been established for a number of years, Google sees this as a positive indication of its reputation with users. Certain domain types, including .gov, .edu and .org, get a PageRank boost from Google. Because Google wishes to deliver credible, reputable search results, it gives preference to domains that are consistent, have proven results or some authority.

In addition to the aforementioned ways you can improve Page Rank, there are also a number of factors that can negatively impact your website’s
Page Rank, such as:

• Failure notices;
• Website not responding to visitors due to server overload;
• Incorrect configuration;
• Irrelevant content;
• Slow page load time; and
• Detection of prohibited software programs as specified in Google’s Terms of Service.

According to Google’s Matt Cutts, Google is constantly updating its systems. Last year alone, Google
made 450 tweaks to its algorithm. The company invests heavily in R&D and aims to continuously
improve its service.

Exa’s website has a Google Page Rank of 6. This outranks many of the World’s largest brands including
Vegemite (PR5), Kleenex (PR3), Maybelline (PR5), Kelloggs (PR5), BMW (PR3), Kodak (PR4), Sportsgirl
(PR4) and Jim Beam (PR5), just to name a few. Google also rates Exa as having the same level of
importance as power brands such as Coca-Cola, Coles, McDonald’s, Arnott’s, MLC, Sony,
Cadbury, HP, Ford, and more, all with a Page Rank of 6. In addition to the benefits this high
Google Page Rank provides Exa, it also makes a major difference to the websites and
businesses of our clients.

A website’s Google PageRank measures how effectively it is meeting its SEO objectives. To view your
Google Page Rank, go to ‘toolbar.google.com’ and download the Google tool bar.