Does Google Have A Responsibility To Update Toolbar PageRank?
6/27 Update -- I would love to think that this blog post had an influence on the folks at Google. Please indulge my trip to fantasy land and give me a bit of credit for all the new blogs that have Toolbar PageRank scores as of today, including this one, which now ihas a homepage PageRank of 3.
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Google's failure to publish updated Toolbar PageRank scores since January is doing a disservice to the new blogs that have been launched during the last 7-9 months. Regardless of Google attempts to minimize the misuse of this tool by sites selling links, it remains a highly scrutinized number. Having a Toolbar PageRank of zero makes it more challenging for new blogs to establish credibility, gain readers, compel readers to leave comments, and recruit guest post authors.
Given that this blog, Internet Marketing Remarks, is one of the new blogs that lacks the credibility provided by the little green gauge showing PageRank in toolbars, I definitely am biased in regard to this issue. I sort of doubt that many of Google's shareholders share my opinion that Google has an obligation to update Toolbar PageRank. Frankly, I would have a tough time making a persuasive case to them that updating this metric that does not produce any revenue should be obligatory. Further, as pointed out in an article by Barry Schwartz, there are many that want PageRank to be deleted from toolbars. Google has recently diminished the importance of Toolbar PageRank by removing the gauge from the current version of their toolbar.
I had to go back to 2007 to find a positive quote about Toolbar PageRank from a "Googler":
"PageRank is an important signal and remains one of many effective measures of quality, but admittedly it's often viewed and used/abused in ways that run contrary to the interests of searchers and webmasters. Still, a lot of folks find the PR information useful; it provides a great incentive to try out our toolbar and explore its other features as well."
Does the fact that this blog does not have the benefit of a Toolbar PageRank score severely damage this blog and/or other new blogs? Absolutely not. Anyone that is interested in doing more that just a cursory glance at a Toolbar has lots of other tools to use to evaluate a site, including SEOmoz's Open Site Explorer, Alexa and other tools.
Thus, maybe if I had an audience with the powers that be at Google, I would attempt to cajole them into updating Toolbar PageRank at least one more time before it is retired so that this blog could have the credibility of a Toolbar PageRank score. Ultimately though, I find it hard to make a good case for Google having a responsibility to update Toolbar PageRank
Internet Marketing Remarks provides tips on SEO, PPC and other topics related to Internet marketing. Author Randy Pickard is a pioneer in Internet marketing and has been optimizing websites to rank well in search engines since 1996. He is also an avid bicycle rider who attempts to ride 200 outdoor miles per week, Chicago weather permitting.
Single Easiest Metric Out There
Great timely post, Randy. Just had a client question why my efforts haven't been "proving themselves" in terms of PR (pagerank). It's hard for SEO'rs to prove themselves in this way now.
Maybe Google doesn't like that it's the first indicator many of us look at. But, I love it for a quick blush ranking.
Easy Metric
I had expected SEOmoz's Page Authority and Domain Authority to become popularly utilized metrics, but obviously SEOmoz has no where near the cache of Google. Given that it has not happened so far, does not seem too likely that Page Authority and Domain Authority will become widely accepted by a mass audience. Good point that there is no longer any short hand way to validate a site's popularity.
Google vs. Credit Unions
At its essence, Google is just an advertising firm. Everything they do is an effort to get more people to purchase advertising with them. I wonder if they ever thought they'd become so dominant in their role as gatekeepers to the internet?
Yes, they wanted a powerful search engine that many people used. After all, this is how they get the eyeballs they sell to those advertising with them. Still, I just don't think they ever thought they'd get to this point - despite what they may say now.
If they had, then I think they'd done many things differently - including the PR toolbar. What was meant as an internal measurement to decide where and how much to charge for ad placements has become a de facto credit score for websites.
Whether Google has a responsibility to share this information may become a moot point. I believe that, unless Google can demonstrate PR has no bearing on search results, they may soon be required to share this information much the same way that credit bureaus are now required to do so.
PageRank
Brad - There is no doubt that Google's discovery of the auction model, pioneered by GoTo, has transformed the firm into a money printing machine. I can not think of any other business model in which the cost of goods sold is so totally disconnected from the enormous stream of the revenue being generated. Prior to the launch of Adwords, the Google revenue model was three text ads at the top of search results pages. with each being sold at single price based on the category. Talk about the good old days, it used to be possible to buy real estate category clicks for $0.35, and if your firm was fortunate enough to be one of the first three buyers, all other competitors were excluded due to lack of "shelf space"
My guess is that Google will ultimately stop publishing Toolbar PageRank. They have already eliminated it rrom Webmaster Tools and their own toolbar. I am not even going to hazard a guess as to whether there will be any future updates, and if so, what the timing is likely to be. While it is understandable as to why the ranking algorithm is top secret, the lack of transparency around the futute of Toolbar PageRank is another example of the cavalier way in which Google with holds information.