Google Reconfigures Its PageRank Algorithm
Thursday, October 25th, 2007
Google has apparently rolled out a fairly significant change to its PageRank algorithm, which is a major contributor to ranking websites in user search results. Changes in PageRank can cause significant alterations in traffic to some websites, and that appears to be the case with this latest change.
Lots of folks are weighing in on exactly what may be the specifics of the change in the algorithm, but right now it appears that sites most significantly hit are those that either: 1) sell text links to other sites; and/or 2) have a high rate of links between blogs/sites on the same network. For example, a number of prominent technology blogs, such as Engadget, are a part of large network of multiple sites and employ a large number of “cross-site” links on nearly every page of their sites. In many ways, this is a means of “beating the system” to improve Google search rankings, as Google’s search algorithm rewards sites which feature large numbers of incoming links (from other websites). It looks as if it’s now (more-so than ever) important that those links be from true outside websites (not other sites owned by the same company or apart of the same network).
This is clearly something that will most significantly impact some of the larger players in the blogosphere, particularly any companies whose revenue model is built entirely on Google ad dollars. Despite this, it should also be a lesson to smaller companies and websites that their search engine rankings can be impacted and that they should focus on developing quality incoming links to their site in order to best increase their search rankings. Relying on manufactured outside links simply doesn’t cut it any longer, and it shouldn’t. Good for Google for correcting this loophole in their algorithm.
(via Kottke)