Sphinn - Should Google Hide the Toolbar PageRank Score?

37
Sphinn It!

Should Google Hide the Toolbar PageRank Score?

Went Hot: August 9, 2007 - 3:47 am
Posted By: rustybrick 697 days ago
Topic Type: News Story (Jump to http://www.seroundtable.com)
Category: Google SEO

So, should they finally just hide TBPR (toolbar pagerank)?

15 Comments

Who Desphunn This (0)

Comments

from MattC 697 days ago #

Votes: 2 | Vote:

+ -

Despite PR's inherent shortcomings and misconceptions I'd like to see it stick around. There are very few factors that allow us to get a 'glimpse' at Google's POV. I know there are some who would rather there be no tools from Google. But that isn't gonna stop problems. Like link trading. Webmasters are hung up on PageRank. Well, you take that away from them they are gonna find something else more extreme to obsess about or have mass link requests running wild... I dont know.

from toddmintz 697 days ago #

Votes: 2 | Vote:

+ -

It's still nice to know who is PR0, so only for that reason, I say keep it.

from kevgibbo 697 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

+ -

I think some people worry about the toolbar PageRank far too much, but at the same time it still does have some uses:

http://blog.seoptimise.com/2007/05/5-reasons-why-google-pagerank-is.html

from dannysullivan 697 days ago #

Votes: 4 | Vote:

+ -

You know, I used to want it gone. I did, because of all the worry. But now we've lived with it long enough that I do think it's an important signal that should be retained, especially when some people are worried about supplemental identification has gone. But sure, drop it from the toolbar and make it a much more accurate reporting within Webmaster Central, maybe.

from ukdaz 696 days ago #

Votes: 1 | Vote:

+ -

I say keep it, its fun having the tool around for when prospective clients are hung up on it and I can then demonstrate that low pr sites I work on can be found for serious numbers of keywords.

It would be nice to see if Google's tool bar was taken away what other tool(s) people would begin to obsess over... maybe one right now that's just waiting in the wings???

from patm7 696 days ago # - show/hide this comment

Votes: -1 | Vote:

+ -

So, Google PR were dropped...

Would you consider for link exchanging:

linking structure of the site?

serps positioning?

site construction?

all of the above?

something else?

from paisley 696 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

+ -

Google PR is a good measure of how a website ranks but IS NOT the end all be all of SEO... I find it VERY useful when bidding a clients site if they have a PR of 0... specifically if they are changing due to a previous SEM/SEO person...

me: "How long has your website been up on this domain?"

client: "3 years"

me: "Have you ever employed someone to do Search enginge optimization on your website?"

client: "one of my employee's nephew is in college and he read some things on the web, but after he got involved our web traffic fell off"

p.s. all this talk about link enchanging... one day one of the sites you "link exchanged with", decides to do porn and keep your link.. but of course you know ALL of the sites you have links back on and you monitor them all the time, right?

One of our clients has a PR of 2... still in the top 5 results (1st page) in Goog, Y! and MSN for all 30 of their tracked keywords.. is it really THAT important?

from Eavesy 696 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

+ -

Think about the DP Members, there would be suicides if PR were dropped.

from bwelford 696 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

+ -

I think it should go because it wastes an awful lot of time for a huge number of people. Anyone who thinks they're getting useful value is probably not grasping the big picture correctly. What counts is the visitor traffic that results for appropriate keyword searches that are probably made by your market niche prospects. Toolbar Page Rank has only a very small effect on that.

I think removing the Google Toolbar PageRank indicator would give Google a glorious opportunity to educate folk on what really counts in trying to generate more visitor traffic to your website.

from moreproseo 696 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

+ -

It doesn't matter if the indicator is removed or not... there will be another one that people will latch onto and use as the basis for acquiring links.

from ffellisbat9 696 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

+ -

I think this is a 50/50 split for keeping or cutting. I do believe that it is false hope for many people and that the accuracy of it is distorted. At the same time I think it's a good tool to use at a glance. Companies are able to pull up their website and just take a look at things and get a general idea. On the other hand I don't see the point of when you can use Google Webmaster and it tells you 10x more than the Page Rank portion of the toolbar.

I believe that the accessibility of the toolbar is much easier for everyday people, but at the same time it brings false hope. I don't think it's going to be removed, but it would be nice if it was more accurate.

from Sebastian 696 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

+ -

I'm with Danny here. I'm used to it and knowing how it works (respectively unworks if that's a word) makes it a habitually indicator. So I vote for keep it, but don't advertise it.

from claudiadot 696 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

+ -

I agree that it wastes the time of a whole lot of people out there who constantly obsess about PR. But, I guess those folks will always find something to obsess about. I agree with Danny that having a more accurate tool in Webmaster Central would be useful. For me the whole issue is accuracy - why have the toolbar PR score when it's acknowledged to not be accurate? I don't find that very useful.