What is PageRank?

PageRank is an algorithm that was developed by Google. It provides you with a numerical value regarding the strength and number of links to any given web page on your site.

The lowest possible value is a zero which indicates the page has not yet been ranked and the highest possible value is a 10 which means your page is wildly popular! (There are rarely more than 20 web pages at any given time that have a PageRank of 10, here's a current list. *List of web sites with high Page Rank )

How Can I Find My Sites PageRank?

1) Easiest way: Install and use the Google Toolbar. It will show you the PR of every site you visit.
2) Manual Way: My Sites Page Rank - Multiple PageRank Checker

No really, What is PageRank?

Think of it like this. If there were no search engines, no Google, no Yahoo or MSN, what are the chances of someone seeing your website?

If you have a brand new site with only one or two (or even 1,000) link's back from other small, low traffic websites, chances are you might get a visit every couple of days. Your traffic will be minimal. These pages in essence have a low PageRank.

Now imagine if CNN, Fox, Adobe and MySpace all linked to your website from their home pages. Those are some incredibly powerful links to your website and would almost insure a constant flow of traffic to your site! This would greatly improve your sites PageRank.

Think of it as a giant digital popularity contest.

If 10,000 'uncool' website say your website is 'cool,' guess what? It's still not cool. But if the popular kids like Apple, Microsoft, Fox, CNN say your sites cool, well... now you're a little bit cooler.

So the higher my PageRank the higher I will be in Google's search results?

Yes and no. Just because a site is popular, doesn't mean it has the best information. Google is far more interested in displaying relevant content over popular content. But popularity is always taken into consideration.

How can I improve my PageRank?

Short answer: Get links from popular websites. Stay away from "link exchanges," and never buy a link (How to report paid links to Google).

Long answer: Become the authority in your field. Make people want to link to your site. Give them great content that they want to link to! The links will follow!

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My site has a PageRank of 3 and I rank better than my competitors that are ranked 4 and 5! I used the SEO plugin for FireFox to see my PageRank: SEO for Firefox Extension: Free Search Engine Optimization Browser Plugin for Firefox.