Matt Cutts: No More Toolbar PageRank Updates

[martinibuster]

SERoundTable reports [seroundtable.com]there will be no more PageRank updates for 2013. In response to a question if there will be an update this year, Matt Cutts said, "I would be surprised if that happened."

Why is it so surprising? Is the green bar going away? Or does Matt know that the toolbar is switching to a once a year schedule?

The toolbar has only updated once this year. Seems like there is more to this story.

[superclown2]

Since it's a major tool for link sellers I'm surprised it lasted this long.

[martinibuster]

That's true, good point! :)

It's also one of the metrics (among many other metrics) that web publishers use to gauge the health of their site and those they are contemplating doing business with.

Toolbar PageRank is unreliable
I've always maintained that it was an unreliable metric to use, even when using it conjunction with more reasonable metrics.

Toolbar PageRank has an impact
Yet we can't avoid the reality that it is still a metric that impacts the industry in a myriad of ways, from (unpaid) link activity to monitoring the health of a site. The toolbar PageRank bar has an impact and to a certain extent that makes it important.

[superclown2]

I think that TBPR is far less important now. Back in the days when a link from a PR6 website meant instant success it was a great help. Nowadays that same link could knock a site down 50 places just as easily. Anyhow no doubt some enterprising company will make a lot of money selling a subscription to a substitute - hopefully a more 'intelligent' one than the green bar had become.

[EditorialGuy]

If they aren't going to maintain it, why not simply get rid of it?

[bhartzer]

TBPR is far less important now

I actually stopped paying attention to TBPR back in 2005.

I guess those who have high TBPR now will be able to sell links for the next year or so. Even if their internal PR goes down. And those who have low TBPR showing won't be able to sell links, they're SOL.

[mrengine]

Link sellers and buyers are now using moz domain authority and page authority stats to value links.