Should Google Hide the Toolbar PageRank Score?
Tedster, administer over at WebmasterWorld, started a WebmasterWorld thread with a proposal to remove PageRank from the toolbar.
As he explains, the PageRank score in the toolbar is an out-of-date metric that is often misconstrued by SEOs and webmasters.
Tedster said:
Enough is enough. Can't the folks in Mountain View see that this situation is nowhere near honorable or "entertaining"? Since it seems that up-to-date and accurate PageRank reporting is an extremely unlikely step for Google to take, I think the time has come for them to stop reporting ANY green fairy dust at all. Keep it as part of the secret sauce, sure, but stop teasing the public at large with funny numbers.As I see it, PR (PageRank) = PR (Public Relations), and that's the main reason that Google keeps Toolbar PR report around. Branding. Image. Mindshare.
We have seen several PageRank scams and even sometimes buggy data, while people still anxiously await PageRank update. But we also know, PR is not the final answer when it comes to "buying links." We know that many top notch SEOs want Toolbar PageRank to go away. We once lost all PageRank data in May 28, 2005, which turned out to be an export bug - which was resolved in about 24 hours.
Of course, when talking about PageRank, we should reference Danny's What Is Google PageRank? A Guide For Searchers & Webmasters.
Now, with all that said, what do you think? Should toolbar PageRank be gone? Will that hurt Google's PR (public relations) campaigns? I bet there are cat fights in Google about this topic. It is a tough decision but ultimately, I feel PageRank should be removed from the toolbar.
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
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rustybrick in Google PageRank/SERP Updates at August 8, 2007 8:06 AM
Comments (16)
Comments
Well I keep hoping that Google's algorithm will filter out those sites that keep trying to make a mockery of a useful tool.
There was a interesting post at searchenginewatch.com talking about Toolbar PageRank is for entertainment purposes only
http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php?t=3054
Do I fixate too much on that little green bar... sometimes I guess I do. When Im buying something I like to see that it does have a descent pagerank so Its not a scam site. If my little green friend wasn't there I guess Id find something else to fixate on. I try to focus on rich content and good use of key wording, converting those visitors into customers.
Nice post Rusty.
Mike
Posted by Michael Wilson at August 8, 2007 08:51