The Meaning of Google PageRank

Google PageRank is a number between 0 and 10 that a web page receives from Google. You don’t apply for it, buy it or rent it; it’s the intellectual property of Google. Calculated automatically from a variety of factors by the mysterious inner workings of the Google Corporation, the Google PageRank for a given page directly effects where in the search results that page will appear. If your web page has a lower PageRank than a competitor’s, Keywords being equal, your competitor’s web page will appear earlier than your web page in the search results using those keywords. That is, prospects see your competitor’s web page before they see yours and are therefore more likely to do business with them than with you.

Having a higher PageRank than your competitor’s PageRank is what defines a “good” PageRank, regardless of its absolute value.

A PageRank of 4 is five times more valuable than a PageRank of 3. A PageRank of 5 is five times more valuable than a PageRank of 4, and so on.

There is no “good” or “bad” PageRank in an absolute sense. Your page must be at least equal your competitors’ PageRanks. If you sell shoes online, a PageRank of 2 can be enough if your competitors’ PageRanks are lower. Higher is always good, of course, but PageRank relative to competitors’ PageRanks is what determines its value.

The physics of how the web works today has reopened the competition within many established product categories. The dominant player has become vulnerable to smaller players who simply get their act together on the web, and seize the Page One position in search results for their product category.

The dominant player has become vulnerable to smaller players who simply get their act together on the web, and seize the Page One position in search results for their product category.

A PageRank of 4 in one product category might be excellent, while a PageRank of 7 in another product category might be poor. It all depends on what your best PageRank is with respect to a competitor’s best PageRank. For example: A PageRank of 7 would be poor for IBM because its competitors’ PageRanks, Microsoft™ and Apple™ being two examples, hover around 9. But a PageRank of 7 would be excellent for the Wyoming Fishing Supply Store, because its competitors’ PageRanks are around 4.

The PageRanks of the businesses within a given product category reflect the relative leadership positions of its members.

Let’s say you are in the “Business Intelligence Solutions for the Mid-Size Market” product category. All that really matters is what your best PageRank is relative to the other players in that product category.

Keywords also play a pivotal role. This is covered later.

[excerpt from the book "The 12 Habits of Highly Effective Websites - Executive Edition"]

Tags: PageRank, search results