Google PR Update

[indigojo]

I'm seeing a PR update across some major sites, I'm viewing from Australia, looks like a drop across the board

[albert]

I'm seeing less PR4 pages showing as backlinks across the board (nothing to do with reciprocality).

Same for me, not really much less, but less.

No idea why.

Anybody else?

[zeus]

I dont see any shift from the link update to the real serps, but I do see the change on IP, Marcia came with.

zeus

[helenp]

On marcias site, I have 3 times more backlinks.........
some of my own is considered backlinks, before ever counted......... internal page are now pr4, therefour counts?

[au_sammy]

My input -

All of my sites have updated PR. A drop of one or two for most sites, even small sites that have been at PR5 for almost their entire life have dropped to PR4.

Less backlinks are shown for my bigger sites, and strangely no internal PR for my pages - which used to have internal PR?

Cheers

[CathyM]

My main site went from PR 5 to 6 and I am sure it is because I added some significant links this month. My top level pages were PR 4 and all went to 6 as well, which surprised me. Also, the sites that I link to in my portfolio mostly went from PR 4 to 5. I hope I don't jinx it by mentioning it here. :)

Now, if the SERPS would just make some positive movement. I am not seeing much changes there. :(

[catdad]

I just put up a brand new site with a brand new URL and I'll be darned if this site already has a PR6...with no backlinks. I have no idea how this happened...not that I'm complaining. ;)

[BuckerBucker]

Now Catdad, what fun would it be if you didn't fall a few numbers at the next update? They gotta start you high so you can feel the pain on the next Florida vacation! Rest assured, you'll see the link and pr drama...as soon as you're certain you've done everything right to achieve success in Googles listings.

[bantychick]

From up above where it says:

"For those asking about how to see the PR associated with the backlinks changes - open your hosts file - located under windows/system32/drivers/etc - and add a line:
64.233.161.98 toolbarqueries.google.com
then restart the browser - that will cause the PR to be shown from that datacenter"

I looked on my computer (Win98, Apache server installed used when off line), and I could not find a hosts file except for the one in the Windows folder itself. That one is normally named hosts.sam. I rename it to hosts when I am operating my server for developing scripts and stuff on my virtual domains, then rename it back to hosts.sam before getting online again because it doesn't work well on the web otherwise.

Are y'all operating with some other type of system than I know about maybe, like on a server that's online all the time or some such?

Just curious, was trying to test the host thing for finding out the newest page rank update and all.

[seo_guy]

To update your hosts file type: c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts into your browser open the file with notepad. Then at the bottom of the page type in: 64.233.161.98 toolbarqueries.google.com (Under where it says localhost)
Then save, to save change from (As a .txt) to (All files) then click on the hosts file above with no extension and hit save.

[Marval]

bantychick - hosts.sam is just a sample file of what a hosts file should look like - just edit it to include a new line below the:
127.0.0.1 localhost
with that new line and save it as hosts
(no file extension - just the name of the file)
that way you can keep your hosts.sam file to play with and the hosts file to resolve the IP addies for toolbars

[webmktg]

I read an article that says link:www.yoursite.com command is not giving proper results.

It Says

I suggest you use the following command in the Google search box to get a more accurate accounting of the sites that link to yours:

www.yoursite.com -site:www.yoursite.com
(Obviously substituting yoursite.com for your actual site.)

This command will show you all the pages linking to yours, minus the pages from your own site. If you want to see your own site links too, just remove the -site:www.yoursite.com part, as that's the syntax for excluding them.

[Please note that with that command, you will also see sites that might just happen to mention your site by URL and not actually have a link. But it's still a heck of a lot better than the link: command!]

What do you guys think?

[Import Export]

Checking for sites containing "your-site.com" will not display results relative to your PR ranking. This will only give you an idea of the number of pages indexed by google containing the string "your-site.com".

[Nicke]

Now I see updated PR on my sites without using the specific IP in the hosts file.

I am happy, PR6 for the first time.

[Pimpernel]

"www.yoursite.com -site:www.yoursite.com"

This command is no good on its own as it does not show all the sites that link to you contextually (i.e. the hyperlink is words rather than the URL).

So, the best solution is to to both commands and look at the results. The great thing about the above command is that it picks up lots of links that link: does not pick up, but it is nowhere near the complete picture

[Hanu]

Is anybody seeing the updated PR factored into the serps?

[wellzy]

I am no longer seeing my internal PR4 pages as backlinks. Is anyone else seeing this?

wellzy

[Silent_Bob]

wellzy, I am finding the same thing with my sites on the datacentre showing the new links.

I'm yet to see any changes on www, www2 or www3 and certainly no change in serps.

[bantychick]

My computer did not have a c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\ folder at all, so I made one and copied a hosts file into it. I typed in 64.233.161.98 toolbarqueries.google.com and tried the SiteLibrary community page. It gave me a 5 PR that way, where before it was fluctuating between 4 and 5. So I guess it will be a 5 when the Google servers all start agreeing with each other. So it worked!

PR 5's pretty good for an inside page of a new site, huh?

My windows/hosts.sam file has this for my domain and virtual domains on my offline Apache server:
#127.0.0.1 localhost
127.0.0.1 example.com
127.0.0.2 www.example2.net
127.0.0.2 www.example3.com
I have a bat file that renames it to HOSTS before I start my offline server. Then it renames it back to HOSTS.sam after I shut down my server and before I go back online so the virtual domains do not bother my browser when I'm trying to get around on the internet.

Thanks for the help : )

[edited by: DaveAtIFG at 6:18 pm (utc) on April 26, 2004]
[edit reason] Exemplified URLs [/edit]

[bantychick]

Oops I take that back. It only worked one time. I clicked around the site a little, and now it's back down to 4 again like it has been for months.

arghhh

[Hanu]

bantychick, on Windows 98 the name of the hosts file is

c:\windows\hosts

I think. Forget about system32/drivers/etc. That is for WinNT, Win2k and above.

The hosts.sam is a sample hosts file.

[thumpcyc]

Kinda off topic, but the G directory is updating today. I posted a new topic, but I guess it is still under review.

My site was added to its shopping cat today, it was not there yesterday. It does not have a PR bar along side it yet, and the G search has not been updated to reflect the addition of the site to this catagory.

Just a heads up,
Thumpcyc

[bantychick]

From above -

"The hosts.sam is a sample hosts file"

Oh, that's nice to know. I always wondered why they named it .sam of all things.

Thanks, Hanu, for the info about the different folder structure. That helps.

[Kirby]

As a PR watching addict for some time, I'm now officially "on the wagon". After the PR update a few weeks ago I saw # of backlinks displayed double and PR go back to PR5, but with no change in the serps (top 3 across several kws).

Have watched this fluctuate between old info and new until this morning when I saw # of backlinks drop to just a few over the old number, but saw some recent PR5 & 6 links displayed. My PR dropped by 1, but same solid positions in the serps.

I am now convinced this toolbar link/PR display is simply a sick head game Google plays <unistalls toolbar>.

[notsosmart]

I just noticed that backlinks are changing on Yahoo. Has this been going on for a while? I've kinda stopped paying attention.

[lunarboy1]

How can you check backlinks in yahoo? the link: command doesn't work. (Although google doesn't back it anymore so how can you tell :)? )

I noticed that a LOT of my backlinks aren't recognized by www.google.com (~30) and 220 are recognized by www2 and www3. Maybe they aren't done updating backlinks yet, but would that affect the rankings or just update the backlink database?

[notsosmart]

Uh, the link: command works for me... or am I missing even more than I thought?

[lunarboy1]

yahoo jsut doesn't recognize any of mine. :) hahahah

Ironic because my site was 2 years old, did a 301 domain transfer, and yahoo kept my spot in the rankings (it still recognizes the old site only, just hasn't updated) and google killed me(they update more :) ).

[notsosmart]

Oh I get it. I meant link:http://www.yahoo.com is showing different results on www2 and 3 etc. You know, a classic sign of changes in the serps.

I was just wondeing if backlinks are now fluctuating the way the serps are, or what.

[notredamekid]

Just now seeing a PR and backlinks update (across many sites)... PR7 is eluding me! :(

[raptorix]

Went down from pr4 to pr3, but a lot of good backlinks from a big music site are not in the backlinks yet :(