The Google Strikes Back
By Desty on Oct 26, 2007 in SEO and Link Building
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Over the months, I’ve noticed that everyone is preoccupied with Google’s Page Rank. The focus of everyone’s SEO has been not to increase search engine traffic, but to increase Page Rank. While I understood their reasons, I never agreed with their reasons.
What ”They” Think and What “They” Say
The selling of links was big business. Services such as TextLinkAds and Linkworth would broker blogs’ advertising space, not to create links to related sites, but to take advantage of a site’s Page Rank. Selling TextLinkAds especially was a great money maker for blogs. Approve the link, it appears in your sidebar, have the money deposited into your PayPal account on a monthly basis.
While not everyone believes this, I have seen bloggers actually disdainful of search engine traffic. The thought was that search engine traffic brought in inferior visitors; they didn’t read many pages, didn’t stay on the blog very long , and, heaven forbid, they didn’t buy anything!
The Google Strikes Back
For months, Google was mentioning that they didn’t like paid links for PR reasons. While there are those who argue that TextLinkAds and what not are just paid advertising, debate doesn’t matter; if Google considers TextLinkAds to be paid links for PR, that’s how they’ll treat them, pure and simple.
Over the past few months, there were a few manual PR corrections, the most famous being John Chow dot Com losing PR, and not ranking for John’s own name. Now, a come complete update has taken place. Problogger, Andy Beard, John Chow, and others have been smacked down.
Suddenly, everyone who had been focusing on Page Rank suddenly write that they don’t care what Page Rank they have. Maki at Doshdosh has an excellent article that is very similar to an article I was working on about Page Rank and online business. I agree with what he says about building your online business around your Page Rank; never have your business rely on things outside of your control. Google controls Page Rank. If you allow your Page Rank to determine your business, you are allowing Google to control your business.
What I Say and What I Do
From the beginning, I’ve thought of Desty Online as a meeting point. My only and favorite feature, Desty’s Gold Starred Articles, allows me to share with readers articles I found and thought highly of. When I find something I enjoy, I like to share it with the world. I can go back to an older article of mine back in July about how I think about linking to other blogs. I still feel the same; I like to share the love, as it were, and I don’t charge for my links to great articles.
Now for something I’d like to share. It was going to be the title of this article, but I changed my mind when I came up with “The Google Strikes Back.” As of today, Desty Online is now a Page Rank 3! 
I did some research into trying to increase my Page Rank, there are two things that I have done on a consistent basis for months that may have had an effect on my Page Rank.
- Nofollow From Home Plugin – This plugin adds [rel=”nofollow”] to all external links from my home page. This allows for zero leakage from my home page.
- Internal Links — Notice everytime I use my title Desty Online, I link to my home page. The hope is to pass along some PR juice from individual pages to my main page. I got this trick from Andy Beard.
Does the Page Rank increase affect Desty Online? You bet. It allows for an increase in revenue. What would happen if I lost it tomorrow? As far as I’m concerned, nothing. I started with a Page Rank 0 and have lived months as such. I’m used to it.
Page Rank, Google Page Rank, TextLinkAds, nofollow, online business Page Rank
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Congrats on the increase. Mine increased as well, from a 6 to a 7, and I’ll be the first one to say that it’s BS. Although, it’s BS you can bank!
Heh, maybe John Chow should take some pointers for you!
Gratz man!