PR has me puzzled.

New page gets PR4 - most exisiting ones PR3

[diggle]

I have just been experimenting with the website.
My homepage has a PR5. The main categories with lists of content pages off them have a PR5.
The content pages linking off the categories mainly have a PR3.They link back mainly with Front Page shared borders.

I have just put a couple of test pages on the site, one with links back and one with no links back and they are both showing PR4 instantly.

What is happening. Any ideas please?

[Aylah]

I believe the PR4 is just a "guess" PR until your page gets indexed, then it will get a real one.

[diggle]

I never knew Google guessed at things - I thought it was more scientific than that!
Thanks Aylah.

[diggle]

Just had a thought. Would someone else be good enough to try it - just to get a second opinion?
Thanks.

[Aylah]

I have done it :) I get the exact same results as you on a PR5 page.

Maybe "estimate" is a better word than guess :)

[doc_z]

diggle

Aylah is right. This is just a guessed PR. You have to wait at least until the next update before the real PR will appear.

As long as your page is not in Google's index it is a guessed PR. However, if your page is in the index this doesn't mean necessarily that it is 'real PR'. You just know that it is real if backlinks are shown. However, if no backlinks are shown this doesn't mean that it is guessed, because only backlinks with PR >= PR4 are shown.