Search Engine Optimization Captures Blogs Potential Value 131.0
SYNTHESiST returns to PageRank 3/10 on Month Eight
PageRank is the gold standard in Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It is Google’s view of a page’s importance on the Net.
On its February launch, I built in ‘white hat’ SEO for SYNTHESiST – with key words stuffed in posts, right domain name choice, and static links. That brought the blog to page one during Google searches and to PageRank 3/10 very quickly.
About two months ago, Google changed the ranking algorithm – some say by making static links irrelevant – and SYNTHESiST swiftly sank to page 5 (and PageRank 0/10). Two days ago, it sprang back to PageRank 3/10 after more ‘white hat’ SEO techniques.
Google keeps the details of its PageRank search algorithm secret. Rumor is it that it is the composite result from the consideration of as many as 200 variables. By just looking at statistics, I have some observations related to PageRank.
Regular Updates. The winners of the 2009 Philippine Blog Awards have a median PageRank solidly around 3/10 as in the table below (as of 11/5/09).
Other than great art and photos which Google’s technology is not able to index (it uses text or semantic analysis), all the blogs post regularly – about 2 -3 times a week. I would venture that substantial – or lengthy – posts at that posting rate translates to a minimum PageRank of 3.
To be sure, these blogs won on criteria other than PageRank. Getting to PageRank 3/10 is just a consequence of excelling in such criteria.
Google’s view of a page’s importance does not necessarily translate to visits and hits. It does place the blog on earlier pages after a Google search. Research has shown that most people do not go beyond the first page when conducting searches. Thus, a high PageRank can indicate a high potential value for the blog.
Longevity. Winners of the Philippine Blog Awards in 2007 and 2008 were strongly distributed around PageRank 4/10. Possibly, consistent updates over time is probably worth a point in PageRank.
Number of Hits per Day or Citations. The 2007 winners with PageRank 5/10 like MarketManila and The Daily PCIJ either had high hits and comments or a lot of citations. From their original PhD paper, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin had the insight of using such citations, as with dissertations, as a key measure of a page’s importance. Either could be worth one point of PageRank, too.
Global Hits and Forward Links. An extremely large number of hits or forward links as with Inquirer, Wikipedia or Facebook could be the final source of higher ranking. I suspect the curve used is logarithmic so that the difference between each number from 6 to 9 could be humongous. And in that formula, math logic dictates that nobody will get 10/10 except as a round up.
My Precious Blog. SYNTHESiST presents my worldview of innovation as intensive and continuous learning in the context of our political economy and history.
I had always realized that the blog’s subject, innovation, is of special interest to just a few worldwide. I quote from my Post 7.0 on March 3, just a week from the birth of this blog:
With a four-syllable subject like innovation, SYNTHESiST will be way out in the long tail. This may be its strength; a site so remote – like the only watering hole near a desert – it is the only place to be [but only for the few people really passionate about innovation].
Narrowcasting on a difficult subject to focus on learners, policy wonks, and entrepreneurs guarantees a narrow but hopefully passionate community. Hits for SYNTHESiST is still low but steadily growing with loyal visitors from more than 40 countries.
Off the Internet, I have tried to create a network of repeat visitors and among innovation practitioners by attending conferences and by writing book authors. And the visits reflect nodes of such networks. I have obtained invitation to publish and participate in conferences and symposiums already.
The next step for SYNTHESiST is to get to PageRank 5/10 in the next 12 month, within Year II of its birth. I think it can still be done with more SEO like membership in blog directories and active marketing for forward links.
As a content and advocacy blog, that is the practical objective in the near term.
Click here for a link to the The Philippine Blog Awrds.
