Google Penalty and yet still have page rank

[stcrim]

Can a page have a Google Penalty and still have a PR of 2 or 3?

When a page shows a PR and yet there is no cached version in google and it can't be found under a phrase that no one else has on their pages - is that becasue of a Penalty?

Does a penality run with a whole site or on a page by page basis?

Last but not least - is there a clearly defined way to tell if Google has imposed a penalty?

-s-

[dwilson]

Is this a new site/page? Has it ever been in Google?

[stcrim]

The site is fairly new - and we are about to rebuild it for the owner.

I have never worked with a site that might have a penalty. Can it just be rebuilt and wait for Google to re-spider or do you "have" to email the Google Police and get them to re-inspect?

-s-

[Susanne]

stcrim,
It is possible to have PR on a page not indexed because the toolbar "guesses" PR based on other pages in the site. This usually happens when you add a new page to a site. As soon as it is online it will have a PR even though Googlebot hasn't visited yet. Are you talking about brand new pages?
Unfortunately there is no crystal clear way to identify a penalty. It's a matter of comparing current PR to previous PR; if there's a big difference you must start to dig deeper.
You say the site is fairly new, sounds like the site might not have so many incoming links, right? Check link popularity, you might find the answer there. Cheers!

[stcrim]

The site isn't spam - but I think the problem is that every page has a link to every page on the site - making for a lot of links. (that may be a part of the new Google Radar)

The home page ranks just fine for its terms but everything inside is no where to be found.

If Google automaticly adds a penalty and the offending issue is removed will Google automaticly remove the penalty or does one "have" to contact the Google Police?

-s-

[Susanne]

Having links to all other pages on all pages is NOT spam. Are you sure Google is able to easily navigate to the inner pages? And, how many pages (out of total in the site) are actually in Google's index?
IF you get a penalty there are mixed responses to whether removing any offending stuff will help quickly. People have waited a very long time to have their penalites lifted in some cases.
But in your case it doesn't really sound like you're penalised. Just go ahead and re-build. Make sure to follow Googles guidelines and you'll be fine.