Ask the SEO Guru

Google Launches Another attack on Link Pimps.

Reports abound about another Google attack on the toolbar PR of those who persist in attempting to profit from the pimping and outright prostitution of paid link placement on prominent pages for the passing of link putty.

http://www.searchengineguide.com/robert-clough/search-engine-guide-publisher-responds-t.php

http://www.gregboser.com/toolbar-hysteria/

http://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-drops-pagerank-for-many-sites-paid-links-or-new-algorithm/5890/

http://www.seroundtable.com/archives/015119.html

http://www.seomoz.org/blog/toolbar-pagerank-losses-for-hundreds-of-websites

Just to point to a few

{public notice}

NO LINKS IN THIS POST HAVE BEEN  PAID FOR, SOLICITED OR COMPENSATED FOR IN ANY WAY. PLEASE, PLEASE BELIEVE ME MY DOG IS HANGING BY A THREAD AS IT IS

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I Have Solid Proof!

Back in '02 my site, my baby, Searchking got whacked. It went from an 8 to a four. Now, here comes the spooky part.

The very next week my car had a flat! Coincidence ? HA! I think not!

Then, not having learned my lesson and still persisting in making a public nuisance of myself with PR publicity, my 4 got zapped to a 0. A ZERO! Well guess what? Within just 4 months I had to have a rectal exam and was left with no other options than to have a colonoscopy! Now if that doesn't convince you, well, you must just be refusing to see the finger in the dyke.

Seriously ----

Kids, the point of my being so facetious is that life goes on and if you are spending time right now, looking at, reading about, worrying about or being overly concerned with page rank in any shape or form, but especially the PR displayed in the toolbar, then your time is being mis-spent. Few people in the history of the internet have been dealt a harsher hand in regards to page rank drop for any reason let alone for the specific reason of selling links than I have. 

Fewer still have so obsessed over the penalty to take it to the lengths I did. After month after month and thousands of dollars spent, the one thing I learned above all other things is that life goes on. I don't see how my loss of page rank could have been anymore public or discussed at greater length and guess what? I didn't die, my car's flat got fixed and in regards to my colonoscopy, everything came out all right. 

I continued making money, I did not go out of business, and the only bad things that happened, I caused myself.

I realize that I am just a guy whose opinion has little impact and probably deserves less. But I am a guy that has lived through what many seem to think is the worst that can happen and all I can tell you is -- it ain't that bad.

Income Dependent on PR

If your income is dependent solely on what the toolbar says and the distance from left to right has shortened, then you are going to have to make a decision to either accept total defeat and try to get your old job back or buck up, evaluate your situation and move forward. If you choose the latter, then your time is much better spent thinking about your business and how to capitalize on the resources you have than it is spent on complaining, theorizing or especially worrying about page rank. I know it's easier said than done, but that is the truth and the real winners are going to be those who can see it.

We are all free to believe who and what we want but I'm telling you, PR, as we know it, means very little in terms of your business potential or even your placement potential. Page Rank was, (and still is), a brilliant marketing ploy but it's not your marketing ploy.

Links Have Great Value

Links have great value for a broad range or reasons. Page rank has very little if any. Sales and profit margins are all that matter. Links can help with that. Page Rank can not. Sales and profits, (or losses), are a reality. Page Rank is a perception.