Google PageRank Hoarding Doesn't Pay - Google PageRank: The Basics
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Google PageRank (one word) is the calculation used by Google to measure the relative importance of a web page on the Internet. Note that it is for a page, and not a site. It is PageRank and not SiteRank. The measurement is a numerical system ranging from 0 to 10, with 10 being the highest. The numbering is not even, but in an ever expanding scale where reaching the next level is many times more difficult than achieving the previous one.
All Internet pages, provided they are not under a Google penalty, have some degree of PageRank. The factors that determine what level that PageRank will be are the total number of incoming links, the PageRank level of the linking page, and the number of outgoing links from that sending page.
The problem for most website owners, regarding PageRank, is how best to increase it and to avoid loss. That loss is sometimes referred to as "leakage". The reality of PageRank leakage is often hotly debated in search engine optimization circles. On the one hand, are experts who say that a webmaster should avoid PageRank leakage at all costs. On the other, are experts who believe that linking out from your pages, and transferring some PageRank, will result in a net benefit to you and your website.
Because of this disparity of opinion, as a website owner, you must formulate a PageRank policy that is right for you.
Creating a PageRank Policy
As a webmaster, you have many incoming links from other web pages. The PageRanks of those incoming links will vary widely. The number of outgoing links from the sending pages, will not be the same from one page to another, either. The fewer the number of outgoing links from that page, the greater proportion of transferred PageRank will be sent to your receiving page.
Obviously, you will want to get as many incoming links as possible. You will also want them from high PageRank pages, with few links out from that page. Of course, that is an ideal situation, and rarely achieved in the real world. Keep in mind that currently low PageRank sites can turn into higher PageRank sites in a very short time.
As you add incoming links and send links out to other websites, you will want to have a goal in mind. You need a plan about how you want your website to approach the issue of PageRank. By having many incoming and outgoing links, you can move your site toward what Google calls a "hub" site. By achieving that status, your PageRank will remain strong and growing. Your accompanying position, in the search engine results pages (SERPs), will also be good as a result of the hub site status.
Along with creating a hub site, you will need many strong incoming links, as well as outgoing links to important sites in your theme category. By doing so, you can work toward becoming an important "authority" site. An authority site is viewed by Google as being especially important in your topic area. The PageRank that denotes such a site will also be strong.
If achieving hub or authority site status are important to you, then a good PageRank policy is essential. You need to decide if you want to work toward the hub or authority levels. If you do, you can't be afraid to link out to other sites. Any perceived loss of PageRank is not of much, if any, consequence in those cases. The number, theme, and quality of the links are what count.
Next: Don't Hoard your PageRank >>
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