Google is updating

Google is updating ToolBar Page Rank, and this days new PageRank will be visible to everybady. My conclusion is based on the fact that, in this moment, various Google’s data center show different PR for some sites, and this is a sight that the update is in the process. The last update happened about 2 months ago, and seems that Google take a rhythm, and updates rather regularly.
Lets see what kind of surprise will reserve us this time.

Recapitulation of real Page Rank values

Here is a table with the intervals of real Page Rank values.

        ACCURATE METHOD     SIMPLIFIED METHOD
  PR    Minimum Maximum     Minimum   Maximum
Toolbar   Value   Value       Value     Value
   0          1       6           1         9
   1          7      48          10        99
   2         49     342         100       999
   3        343   2.400       1.000     9.999
   4      2.401  16.806      10.000    99.999
   5     16.807 117.648     100.000   999.999
   6    117.649 823.542   1.000.000 9.999.999

We will make reference to the real values of the accurate method.

Well, we made a new web site and we go hunting Page Rank. We want to reach at least a PR3 in the next Google update. Lets see how much link, and of what quality, we must have to reach our objective.

To have a PR3, our site must receive a minimum real value of 343 (as from the table above). Lets suppose that the links to our site come from PR3 pages with about 30 links for page: each of this page passes a value of 257 (the minimum value for PR3 from the first article), divided by 30 are 8,57. So, 343/8,57 = 40 pages of this kind must link our site.

It’s a hard work to find 30 pages with this characteristics. We can try to submit our site to directories, to top lists that use direct link, and to trade link with other webmasters.

Toolbar’s Page Rank updated

Finally, after a long waiting, 26th October Google updated Toolbar’s Page Rank, too. Why did I use the word too?

Because the real value of Page Rank updates regularly, each 2-3 weeks, while the Toolbar’s value updates rarely: the last update was in April, 6 months ago.

The prove of this fact is the substantial changes in Google’s rank of some sites, in some periods, due to this invisible updates, not supported by Toolbar update.

Simplified method of Page Rank Calculation

In the previous article an accurate method to calculate Page Rank was exposed. For everybody that found that method too complicated, here is a simplified method, obviously less accurate.

To calculate a minimum page rank real value that one page passes to another page, after number 1 we must add as much zeros as the value of Toolbar’s Page Rank is, multiply by 0,75 and divide
It by total number of links present on the same page. An example: suppose that we examine a PR3 page with 34 links. This page passes real value of

1000 x 0,75 / 34 = 22,05

The maximum value is this value multiplied by 10, that is 220,5.

Using method from the previous article, we would have the minimum value 257/34 = 7,56, and the maximum value 1800/34 = 52,94, the values more lower then those obtained with simplified method.

To transform the Page Rank real value in Toolbar’s Page Rank, we must simply count the number of characters of the number that presents the real value, and decrement the count by 1. For example, one page has real Page Rank value of 3419: there are 4 characters, less 1, so Toolbar’s Page Rank value is 3.

The values previously calculated would give Toolbar’s Page Rank:
- for simplified method we have real value 22,05: 2 characters less 1, so we have PR1;
- for accurate method we have real value 7,56: log(7,56)/log(7) = 1,04, so PR is 1.

How to calculate Page Rank

Page Rank is a measure of the popularity of a web page. More pages link one page, this page will have a bigger Page Rank.

It is very useful for us, webmasters, to know the value of Page Rank that our page receives from pages that link it. To have this information, we need data for each page that links to our page: the real value of Page Rank and the total numbers of links on the page.

The value of Page Rank that we know is those that we can read from Google’s Toolbar. That value is a logarithmic representation of the real value. I will assume that the base of logarithm is 7 (the real value isn’t known).

The formula that is used to calculate the real value of Page Rank that one page (lets call it page A) passes to another page (lets call it page X) is:

PR[Xa] = d * ( PR[A] / C[A])

With words: the Page Rank that the page X receive from the page A (PR[Xa]) is obtained dividing the real Page Rank value of the page A (PR[A]) by total number of links on this page (C[A]) and multiplying by dumping factor (d). I will assume that the value of dumping factor is 0,75 (the real value isn’t known).

The total value of Page Rank of page X is the sum of all contributions that the page receives from the pages that link it. For example, if the page X is linked by pages A, B, C and D, the real value of Page Rank will be:

PR[X] = PR[Xa] + PR[Xb] + PR[Xc] + PR[Xd]

Using this information, we can produce a table with ranges of real values of Page Rank that one page (A), with a certain Page Rank, read from Google’s Toolbar, gives to an another page (X), supposing that on the page A there is only one link, to page X.

  PR    Minimum  Maximum
toolbar  Value    Value
   0         1        4
   1         5       36
   2        37      256
   3       257    1.800
   4     1.801   12.604
   5    12.605   88.236
   6    88.237  617.656

Attention: there are not real values of Page Rank, but real values passed from one page to another.

The minimum values are obtained raising number 7 (base of logarithm) to the PR power and multiplying by 0,75 (dumping factor), for example: the minimum value of Toolbar’s Page Rank 5 is (7^5)*0,75 = 12.605.

The maximum values are obtained simply by decrementing by one the minimum value of the superior Page Rank, for example: the maximum value of Toolbar’s Page Rank 5 is 88.237-1 = 88.236.

Now, to have real value that one page pass to our page, we must take the real value of Page Rank of that page from the table and divide it by total number of links, present on the same page. Here is the problem. What value to take from the table: the minimum or the maximum one, or an average?

It’s impossible to resolve this problem because we don’t know exact value of Page Rank, but only an interval of values. Personally, I always work with minimum value so, in this mode, I’m sure that my calculations are underestimated.

An another problem to resolve is how to find the number of links on the page that we examine? There are Internet sites that offer free tools with which we can obtain this information.

At the end of all calculations, summing Page Ranks that we receive from any page that link our page, we have a real value of Page Rank of our page. Lets suppose that this value is 780. To get an equivalent Toolbar’s Page Rank, we have to calculate logarithm to base 7 of this value. Normal calculators have not this function, so we can calculate it using logarithm on base 10, in this mode: log(780) / log(7) = 3,4. Toolbar’s Page Rank is always represented as an integer number, simply ignoring the decimal part of result, so Toolbar’s Page Rank will be 3.

Introduction with the opening of this blog for Webmasters

There is no need to try to explain the importance of Google’s Page Rank. Every webmaster knows that the best internet traffic comes from search engines, and Google, in this moment, is the most important. So, the main task for a webmaster is to get his site placed as high as possible in Google search results.

Everybody also know that to be placed in first positions the page must be well written, with the selected keyword well spreads in the titles and in the text of the body, that the page must have a lot of incoming links (the link that link the page from other sites/pages), that those incoming link must use the selected keyword as link text, and that the page must have a good Page Rank.

It seems to me that many webmasters do not fully understand the concept of Page Rank and how to obtain it. In this blog I will try to address some of the arguments that I frequently discussed with other webmasters in order to express my opinion regarding this issue.