PageRank, Backlinks, but not in the Google Index?

[Webmeister]

I periodically check the websites that I exchange links with to see if they are in the Google index. Today I found several URLs that did not come up when I searched for them on Google, but they all have PageRank and backlinks. Is this possible, or am I not checking to see if they are in the Google index properly? What is the best method to check and see if a website is in the Google index?

[Halfdeck]

Multi-DC site: search. Some fake PR pages aren't listed in Google, and even if they're listed, if they can time indexing to happen after a PR update, it gets harder to tell if the PR is real or fake.

[Webmeister]

I exchange links with about 2,000 websites. I periodically check to make sure all of them are in the Google Index. Out of the 2,000, about 40 of the websites are not showing up in a Google search. However, they still have PageRank and backlinks showing. Can anyone explain this?

Thanks!

[steveb]

PR and backlinks are updated rarely. A page or site could literally go offline between updates and still show PR and backlinks a couple months later.

[tedster]

Google has strongly devalued reciprocal links. If those link partners of yours were in Google ONLY because of reciprocals, that could do it.

However, that's only a 2% showing for not-in-Google. Given all the problems we're seeing reported here right now, those 40 sites (or at least some of them) might just be friendly-fire, temporary casualties in Google's anti-spam war.

[JeffOstroff]

Webmeister, use the site: command to see how many pages Google has of that site in the index:

site:example.com

ALso, if you know any of the URLs on that site, just search them in Google and when the SERP comes up, select "pages that contain the URL" or some of the other options to see if their URL is in there.

ALso, how was the Page Rank of these sites? If they all wer e0, Google may have trashed them in the big update on June 27, when numerous web site owners were complaining they lsot thousands of pages.

Google may have jus tbeen cleaning house. Hope you weren't cross linking with that now infamous 5 Billion Page scraper site! LOL!

[Webmeister]

I have used the site:example.com command, and the sites and their pages do not come up in a Google search. However, they still show backlinks and PageRank.

P.S. - The sites in question do look like they are built solely to generate Google AdWords revenue.

[Webmeister]

Does anyone know, is it possible for a site to have PageRank and backlinks, but not be in the Google Index?

[steveb]

To repeat again, Yes.

[Webmeister]

Sorry to sound redundant Steve, but are you saying that a site can be removed (banned) from Google's Index, yet still have PageRank and backlinks? If so, would it be unwise to link to a site in this state?

I appreciate your input.

[steveb]

Your original question was completely different. Anyway, since you directed it at me, I have no comment about what info banned sites do or don't or might show.

[doc_z]

Yes, currently a banned site can have PageRank and backlinks. (In the past this was handled differently. [webmasterworld.com])

[Webmeister]

Thanks Steve, and thanks to Doc for the link - which answered my question completely. Sorry if my wording was hard to understand in my initial question. Again, if anyone wants to tackle this one:

Do you think it would be unwise to link to a site that is not listed in the Google Index, but still shows decent PageRank and backlinks?

I think I know the answer, but I would like to get your (anyone's) input on this.

[doc_z]

If the site is banned I wouldn't link to it.