Having had enough of seeing posts about a ‘PageRank update,’ I want Set The Record Straight…

Don’t believe what you hear about toolbar PR, or as the less informed like to call them: PageRank updates. We hear this every few months, each quarter when Google Toolbar PageRank numbers change.

Toolbar PR Is A TOY: –nothing more, nothing less– It has nothing to do with real PageRank algorithms and even less to do with SEO.

What is Toobar PR or Toolbar PageRank?

This green bar, that can be seen in the Google Toolbar available for Internet Explorer, is an indicator of quality, that is true. But it has nothing to do with real Google PageRank Algorithms.

Google’s Toolbar PageRank bar, is just that, a green bar. The number displayed updates 4 times a year, once each quarter. So, you will usually see a change in your ‘Toolbar PR’ as it is called, in April, July, October, for the prior 3 month’s calendar quarters. And for some reason, usually a month early for the fourth quarter, in December.

Google always updates toolbar PR early in December to mess with Christmas shoppers and put pressure on Google SEO spammers. Google will also in December perform a major shakeup of the ranking algorithms, and shake out top sites right at their biggest time of the year.

It called the Google Slap and it comes every year in December. The Google Slap has come every year in December for 10 straight years and toolbar PR always updates a month early in December. Want to know the history of the Google Slap? JGI (just google it)…

Just because your Toolbar number in the green bar changes, that does not mean there is a true algorithmic PageRank update. Don’t fall for this BS that many use to get notice and traction on social posts and blogs.

Some of the unskilled will even try to tell you that the green bar is dynamic, changing all the time. Totally untrue. And they damn well know it. They are lying about this dynamic update to toolbar PR to make themselves seem smart and get the notice of their followings.

Be very wary of the person telling you that there is a PageRank update, because the green bar changed on their sites. Toolbar PR is an indicator of quality, a small, small indicator. Many times in the last 10 years, my sites and gone down a notch in Toolbar PR, meanwhile holding or rising in Google rankings. Toolbar PR should not matter to you in the least!

What is True Google PageRank Then?

True Google PageRank is a dynamic algorithm, that updates many times a day. It is just one of over 55 (probably more now, been away I have) different Google algorithms that form the basis for how Google determines rankings in Google search.

Here is a good write up of how the real PageRank algorithm works on Wikipedia.

So Is Toolbar Important In Any Way, Shape Or Form Then?

Yes, it is, I just don’t want you to become the latest round of Toolbar PR converts that chase the green bar all around.

First of all, if you are going to mention any type of PageRank update, be sure to use the word Toolbar in front of any such quotes, as a true SEO expert, Barry Schwartz did here…

Toolbar PR is a good indicator of quality, just as many other tools like Alexa rankings are. Just like checking Toolbar PR here is, on this PR checker I use at times… Mostly when I have to debunk Toolbar PR each year.

Incoming links and the true PageRank algorithm, are becoming less and less weighted by not just Google but other search engines as well. In fact the major search engine in Asia, just totally removed any ranking algo based on incoming links.

Hope that clarifies things for you and helps visions of sugar plums dance in your head this Christmas season, instead of little green bars… [Just like the image hoax above :]