The complexities of Google's PR (Page Ranking) System have grown more difficult to understand since Hilltop Algorithm was introduced. This beginner's guide to PR system explains basics of what PR is, what it does, and how it affects your site's rankings. This revolutionary search algorithm has made it to where most relevant and popular sites with best content do best on Google's search page. Keep in mind, this algorithm is kept secret by Google for fear of it being exploited, but basics have been released for study.

In a nutshell, Google's Page Ranking is a system devised to rank pages based on their content and popularity and place them accordingly within search results based on their relevance to general topic. Or, in laymen's terms, it's a system to make sure sites are put where they need to be, both in search results and in rankings. A site dealing with pet care is not going to be listed in top 10 when searching for "web design," but depending on its content and popularity it could be well towards top of list on "pet medicine" or "sick dog."

PR is on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being highest ranking possible. Of course, only a very few sites have a PR 10 or even a PR 9 for that matter. PR 7 and PR 8 sites are considered very good sites, with lots of original, relevant content and a great deal of inbound links. You will usually find sites with a high PR at top of list under Google's search engine, and many others, since relevant content and lots of links is almost a prerequisite for being placed high in any of major search engines on any of major keywords.

PR Spread

PR is set up to "pass on" from one site to another, or one page to another if it is within your own site. As PR "spreads" throughout your site, you will get less and less utility from it. A link from a PR 5 site to your main page will give you a PR 4 link to your main page. Since your main page will be linked to other pages within your site, any links on your front page (up to 100 pages) will then receive a PR 3 link from your main page. It continues to trickle down, exponentially losing power until it peters out.

Keep in mind, however, that depending on what page linked to you, and how many links were on that page in first place, your PR could be significantly lower than expected. If a PR 5 page links to your site, but has 300 other links on that single page, you may get anywhere from 0 to 4 PR. Thus it is beneficial to have a limited number of links on your main pages, due to smaller amount of PR being passed down with more links it is being passed to. Overall, a small, concise site with lots of inbound links and few outbound links would be ideal "PR trap," although relevant, original content is needed as well.

PR's Effect on Rankings

The effects of PR are plainly viewable to anybody with Google Toolbar. Simply search for a keyword, and look at PR rating of top 10 sites. The highest PR will usually be on top of list, depending on content. If a PR 8, however, has a keyword that does not match their content, they will most likely be ranked lower than a PR 6 on same keyword with more relevant content on subject matter. A site with high, relevant, and original content, along with matching keywords and a multitude of links from related sites, will place extremely high on searches containing their keywords. A site with old content that is not updated often with links from non-related sites and keywords that do not relate directly to their content, on other hand will probably not show up within top 100 sites on same search.

So basically, PR is what drives listings on Google Search Engine. How to optimize your site to take advantage of this system, however is real challenge.

Utilizing PR

Lately, a lot of articles talk about achieving better search engine ranking by building an authority website. So what is an authority website and how do you go about building one? In general, authority website is a large website full of resources on a specific topic. A good example of an authority website for search engine marketing industry is SearcEngineWatch.com. Let's now take a look at how you should go about creating an authority website for yourself.

Pick a Niche

When building an authority website keep in mind niche you are targeting. Try to pick a niche that is as specific as possible. For example, if you are a travel website it would be pointless to create a travel portal; you stand very little chance against existing websites. But you can create an authority website that focuses on handicapped travel and their needs. There is a lot less competition and you will have much better ranking for keywords you want.

Get Up-to-date Content

Content is key to building a successful authority website. Fresh content differentiates commercial and authority websites in eyes of search engine spiders. Commercial websites usually write content for their pages once and do not update it very often. Authority websites, on other hand, usually provide content in form of articles, news, blogs, etc. so information is always fresh and is frequently updated.

Looking at SearchEngineWatch.com we see that they show content from their articles and blog right on homepage which means it is updated very often. There are several ways you can get content for your website.

1. Write articles and publish news yourself. You are a professional in your niche. Why not write content yourself? Who else if not you knows more about business you are in? Start adding content under your name and you will see that your visitors will start seeing you as a professional that you really are.
2. Syndicate content from other websites. Look for other authority website in your niche and if possible syndicate their content. You can find RSS feeds on many topics on website like 2RSS.com .
3. Contact other professionals in your industry. Another way of getting content is to contact other professionals in your industry and ask them for resources. They might have written some articles which you can use; or some of those people might be interested in posting information on your website.