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The difference between PageRank and other factors


To assess when PageRank is important and when it is not, we need to understand how PageRank is different from all other ranking factors. To do this, here’s a quick table that lists a few other factors, and how they add to the ranking score:

Title Tag - Can only be listed once.
Keywords in Body Text  - Each successive repetition is
less important. Proximity is important.
Anchor Text- Highly weighted, but like keywords in body text, there is a cut off point where further anchor text is no longer worthwhile.
PageRank- Potentially infinite. You are always capable of increasing your PageRank significantly, but it takes work.

All other ranking factors have cut off points beyond which they will no longer add to your ranking score, or will not add significantly enough for it to be worthwhile. PageRank has no cut off point.

Non-PageRank Factor Threshold


Having written about the difference between PageRank and other factors, and how PageRank is harder to get, it should now be clear that whilst we could use many methods to get good rankings, there is a threshold which defines when high PageRank is worth striving for and when it is not.

With ranking factors other than PageRank, there is a score beyond which the slow down in the rate that any factor adds to this score is so insignificant that it is not worthwhile. This is the Non-PageRank Factor Threshold. To illustrate this, let’s put an example figure on this of 1000.

If we have a query where the results are Page A and Page B, then Page A and B have scores for that query which are the total scores for all ranking factors (including PageRank). Let’s say Page A’s score is 900 and page B’s score is 500. Obviously Page A will be listed first. These are both below our hypothetical

Non-PageRank Factor Threshold, thus without any change in PageRank, it is possible for page B to improve their optimization to beat Page A for this particular query. There are lots of queries like this on Google; they're more commonly  thought of as less competitive queries!

Now assume Page A raises its score to 1100. Suddenly page B cannot compete  in the SERPs (search engine results pages) without increasing its PageRank. In all probability, page B must also improve for all the other ranking factors, but an increase in PageRank is almost certainly necessary. There are also lots of
queries like this on Google, which are more commonly thought of as more competitive queries!

Generally, when querying Google, the group of pages in the SERPs will contain some pages that have a score above the Non-PageRank Factor Threshold, and some that do not.

There is an important point to be made here:


To be competitive you must raise your page's search engine ranking score beyond the Non-PageRank Factor Threshold. To fail to do so means that you can easily be beaten in the search results for your query terms. The quickest way to approach the Non-PageRank Factor Threshold is through “on the page factors,” however you cannot move above the Non-PageRank Factor Threshold without PageRank.

The obvious question is what’s the numerical value of the Non-PageRank Factor Threshold, and how much work do you need to do to get past it. The answer is that it has no value; it is a hypothetical line. Google could put a value on it, but that would not help us unless we know what the page’s individual scores are. We
need only be aware that the threshold exists, and that it gives us information about principles.

Using the threshold to derive the worth of two ranking strategies The threshold explains principles and the different ways that search engine marketers work. It also demonstrates why some of the misunderstandings about PageRank occur. Let’s consider the strategies of two people, Person A considers PageRank to be unimportant, and Person B considers PageRank to be very important.

Person A says “PageRank” is unimportant. They have optimised pages for years and know how to use “on the page” factors very successfully. They understand the basics of anchor text but they couldn’t care at all about PageRank.

What’s happening: person A is reaching the Non-PageRank Factor Threshold very quickly because they are maximising the “on the page” factors. Through carefully choosing keywords they jump-start themselves up the SERPs. As long as their content is good, high-ranking sites (over time) tend to get linked to. Whilst they didn’t directly ask for it, a slow trickle of sites will begin to link to them and give them PageRank, which helps consolidates their position. Person B says “PageRank” is important. We’ve all seen those pages in the
results that have no content, but great rankings (With big brands, this can often occur naturally even when they have no idea what PageRank is. This would be Person C who is not relevant to the discussion at hand.) Person B understands lots about PageRank and concentrates heavily on it.

What’s happening: person B is doing the reverse of person A. Whilst person A concentrated on the Non-PageRank factors and found herself getting PageRank anyway, person B concentrates on the PageRank Factor and finds himself getting Non-PageRank factors. The reason for this is that increasing PageRank requires links, and links have anchor text. Thus, through carefully choosing the anchor text linking to his page, person B automatically increases his Non-PageRank factor scores whilst obtaining his high PageRank score.


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