PR calculation

[Pico_Train]

We know that pages pass PR on a ratio somewhere around the PR of page, divided by the number of outbound and internal links. These outbound and internal links could also pass PR on a seperate ratio from each other.

Now this begs, my real question, is PR - Page Rank only about links?

What else might be influencing the value.

[rainborick]

PageRank is only a measure of the number and quality of the links that point to a given page. The only other influence on PageRank is any penalty that might be assigned to the page or domain which usually results in a PageRank score of 0 or gray bar (ie. "no information"). But putting PageRank in perspective as it influences a page's ranking potential in the search results is very difficult beyond simply "all else being equal, higher is better".

[tedster]

Right -- any other ranking influences are coming from other factors in the complete Google algorithm and not from the PageRank factor.

[Pico_Train]

Understood, but I am not looking at anything else but PageRank - the number on the green bar...

So, let's refresh, just links? Anything else?

[rainborick]

PageRank is only a measure of the number and quality of the links that point to a given page. The only other influence on PageRank is any penalty that might be assigned to the page or domain which usually results in a PageRank score of 0 or gray bar (ie. "no information").

That says it all.

[Pico_Train]

Cool

[Luddite]

I don't believe links are the whole story.

I have one site that went to PR6 with _ONE_ PR5 link after it was launched. It has gathered more links as time goes on, but it sits at PR6. (might have gone from PR 6.000 to PR 6.999, but who knows.. Still says "6")

I don't think there is a cut and dried formula (X IBL
of PR Y = PR Z). Could be totally wrong but I suspect PR depends on a variety of things including "indicators of quality". I also think the PR we see is not used (at least not on its' own) by google in determining SERP placement for your site.

[HarryM]

Luddite,

You don't say how long your site has been up, but one reason that your site is stuck in a PR band may be because the internet is continually expanding with countless new site added daily. Quality is also improving. The effect is that PR competition is tougher and a site needs more links just to stay where it is. Possibly if you had not increased the links to your site it might have fallen to a PR5.

[annej]

I've actually seen my PR go down while my position in the serps has improved. This is across hundreds of search phrases related to pages on my sites. It's just harder to get the higher PR now because of the expanding web.

I even checked other sites in my topic and they are all down. So you can't assume more links will bring you up. It's a bummer as it feels so good seeing that nice green bar at 6 or 7 but it really doesn't matter in terms of how your site does with Google.

There are so many other factors than PR in the algo now I'd concentrate on those.

[Ellio]

With PR updates being so far apart it is easy to forget that the PR on the toolbar may not be the real PR of the page as this is updated continuously by Google.

Stating that a site with a low toolbar PR has higher SERPS than another with a higher toolbar PR mean nothing as the real PR of the former site may now be equal or higher.....

.

[Luddite]

Excellent point Harry.

It's easy to forget that the goalposts are always moving...