PageRank Was Recently Updated. Here’s How It May Affect SEO

Recently, Google updated a patent related to an important algorithm, and it is revolutionizing how smaller websites will be detected and ranked on Google’s search engine results page (SERP).

What this update ultimately means is important to your website, and therefore, your bottom line. Cobalt Digital Marketing is always on the hunt for changes to Google’s algorithm and their effect on SEO so that we can maximize that knowledge on your website to improve leads and convert those into sales.

Here’s what we know about the PageRank patent update.

PageRank

In short, PageRank is a link analysis algorithm that is used by Google Search to rank websites based on certain criteria. PageRank provides the basis for all of Google’s web searching tools.

You should keep in mind that just because a web page has a high page rank, it does not necessarily mean that it will have high search rankings.

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How It Works

According to Google, PageRank works by “counting the number of quality links to a page to determine a rough estimate of how important the website is. The underlying assumption is that more important websites are likely to receive more links from other websites.”

Usually, Google creates a link map looking for the shortest path back to your website from another seed spam-free website. Before the update, website owners wanted their content to have links to the most authoritative, trusted domains that had the shortest path back to their website.

Because of this, popular websites would populate and dominate the front page of the SERP for the longest time because of the number of quality links they would have, but now, industry experts claim that the update to its patent will change that.

The Update

The idea is that the most recent update will put an end to the old days of big websites monopolizing all of that sweet, sweet first page real estate by loading up their content with semi-relevant links into their web pages. The goal is that smaller websites that have much more relevant information coupled with links to credible niche websites will start taking up top spots.

It doesn’t matter how intricate or large a website’s link graphs are. What will matter now is content that has quality links to authoritative, spam-free sites.

This is big news for smaller websites, further proving that Google is moving forward with their commitment to quality through content backed by expert sources.

On the other hand, industry experts believe that the change to the patent could make breaking out on the SERP for startup companies more difficult depending on the niche. But luckily, PageRank isn’t the only factor in determining search rankings. In fact, there are 200 other different factors that Google uses to rank your site, whether its brand new or aged.

While the update occurred a little over a month ago, quite often some time must pass in order to see the full effects of these changes.

As always, you can count on Cobalt Digital Marketing to bring you the latest information on SEO practices, Google algorithm changes, and how these will affect your website.

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it sixteen times, SEO always changes, and if you want to succeed in this business, you’ve got to keep up to date with them. Enlist the aid of a digital marketing firm that can get you results. Enlist the aid of Cobalt Digital Marketing.

Contact us here to get started with your custom Cobalt Formula™ today.