PR and Directory Structure

does PR automatically drop by one?

[prairie]

All things being equal, is PR reduced by one (on the green bar) the deeper a site's subdirectories go?

I'm noticing this even in a site structure where every page is linked to every other page.

E.g.
index.html = PR 6
/ = PR 5
// = PR 4
/// = PR 3
and so on.

If this is the case across the board, it might be a better idea to keep everything in the root directory.

[steveb]

No.

[Dominic_X]

No, the / or // or /// is not a factor.

What I understand as the way it works is:

85% of the PR value is divided amongst the links on the page (internal or external) then passes to the pages linked to.

Which site they belong to or where in the structure of the site they are located is not a factor.

[steveb]

"All things being equal, is PR reduced by one (on the green bar) the deeper a site's subdirectories go?"

No.

[WebGuerrilla]

PR flow is influenced by click depth, not directory structure. It just happens that a typical navigation scheme where the home page links to several index pages in directories one level down will usually produce PR's that display on the toolbar as -1 point from the root.

But you would see the same thing with pages five levels deep if you linked directly to them from the home page.

[fourstardragon]

"PR flow is influenced by click depth, not directory structure. It just happens that a typical navigation scheme where the home page links to several index pages in directories one level down will usually produce PR's that display on the toolbar as -1 point from the root."
WebGuerrilla

WebGuerrilla said what I was about to say, and said it better. -1 point from the root is just a rule of thumb.

[steve128]

>All things being equal, is PR reduced by one (on the green bar) the deeper a site's subdirectories go? <

Yes! but there are occaisions when this is not true, you asked all things equal, so yes is the answer rule of thumb.

[steveb]

"Yes! but there are occaisions when this is not true, you asked all things equal, so yes is the answer rule of thumb."

The answer is still "no". There is zero connection between directory depth and PR. None, nothing, absolute total zilch.

[prairie]

Thanks everyone.

As I understand it now, PR simply diminishes on pages with less connections,somewhat like a rhizome.

So the way to raise it would be to either:
* increase the amount of local content linked to pages of lesser PR (presuming you can increase PR by growing a site);
* increasing inbound links

[steve128]

>"Yes! but there are occaisions when this is not true, you asked all things equal, so yes is the answer rule of thumb."
The answer is still "no". There is zero connection between directory depth and PR. None, nothing, absolute total zilch.>

My oh my steve my namesake; things all equal was the Q
So the guy has mysite.com/thing/double-thing/another/thing/moresuff.html
I link to this page from my PR8 page, you telling me his home page would be pr7?..the actual page I linked to would more than likely be a pr7..but not the home page

[growingdigital]

A good SEO practice is to have every important page on your website linked directly from your home page.

I personally try to keep every page within 1-2 clicks of the home page. If you have a large site this becomes impossible, because of usability issues. However, if carefully planned can be very effective.

[steveb]

"My oh my steve my namesake; things all equal was the Q"

Yes, thus my answer. Directory structure has nothing to do with PR. Zero.

"So the guy has mysite.com/thing/double-thing/another/thing/moresuff.html
I link to this page from my PR8 page, you telling me his home page would be pr7?"

? Of course not. Where does that come from?

"the actual page I linked to would more than likely be a pr7..but not the home page"

? I don't think you are understanding the thread.

Just read WebGuerrilla's message #5.

Directory structure effects PR as much as page color. Not all all, zip, nada. PR is just about linking.

[steve128]

<? I don't think you are understanding the thread. >

your thoughts entirely -;)