Why did Google introduce PageRank to the public?

[Heywood_J]

For years now, we have all stressed or rejoiced everytime there's a PR update. And it's been a great gauge of relevant sites over the years, but I wonder, what was the real benefit to google by releasing PageRank to the world? Are they really better off? They were holding all of the cards, yet they decide to show part of their hand. And we all know the can of worms they opened with that decision. Google has always guarded their secrets like it's fort knox and they have always prided themselve with keeping webmasters (and the competition) guessing on their algo. Do you think google regrets their decision to release PageRank?

[Stefan]

I don't know, it seems to me that PageRank was part of the marketing, not just an in-house factor in the algo - it had to be public. Agreed, for sure, that they created a monster in the process - it's been a real factor in the difficulty of getting decent search results in all the SE's. Adsense polluted the content, PR polluted the links.

[dmorison]

Google as a commercial entity didn't, PageRank was the result of a Stanford University research project...

[www-db.stanford.edu...]

However, even if this was not the case, i'm pretty sure that link popularity as the basis of Google's operation would have been reverse engineered in principle very quickly.

edit: or did you just mean releasing the actual PR value of pages.... :D

[Heywood_J]

I am simply amazed by the time webmasters are devoting to this. PageRank has taking on a life of it's own and many have taken their eye off the ball because of it.

[kevinpate]

Whatever else it was, wasn't, coulda, woulda, or shoulda been, it was, and remains today, a brillant bit of inexpensive marketing.

[designhaus]

Pagerank does not work and and has never worked. Google have been to embarressed to admit it from the start. It would have been a public relations disaster if the admitted that the algo did not work properly.

Consider Pagerank a mistake on Googles part that they have never addressed due to possible public relations issues.

[johan]

designhaus tell us what does work?

My car is fairly reliable and only broke down twice in 8 years so your telling me my car doesn’t work? Then what car does work 100% of the time?

Page rank is fairly reliable and there is only a minority abusing it and buying it. Btw Google is also the number one SE.

If you buy Page Rank your site will have more page rank but will you rank better than other sites with the same page rank or slightly less, the answer is no.