I still hear a number of people talking about page rank, page rank, page rank, when discussing whether their website is doing well, or trying to assess the results of their search engine optimisation efforts. However, page rank became less relevant when Google removed PageRank values from their webmaster centre!

Here’s the statement Google made when they did it:

We’ve been telling people for a long time that they shouldn’t focus on PageRank so much; many site owners seem to think it’s the most important metric for them to track, which is simply not true. We removed it because we felt it was silly to tell people not to think about it, but then to show them the data, implying that they should look at it.

However, if this is Google’s position, then why bother updating their toolbar PageRank values? Doing so is only going to create a stir in the webmaster community & cause confusion as to it’s relevance. Surely it would’ve been much mbetter to remove it from both webmaster tools and the Google toolbar at the same time.

It’s also important to remember that the toolbar Page Rank values can be a couple of month’s old, so they’re out of date even after the update & therefore not really relevant to your current ranking position. The recent PageRank update has left many webmasters confused with most reporting major decreases in their website’s ranking in the search results. But if Google’s statement is to be believed, should you really be concerned about it?

If you have a search engine friendly site, the most important issue for your Google search engine rankings are quality inbound links!

Use one of our link building or Google Ranking Boost packages to get guaranteed links for your site

As the recession has now been officially confirmed & the squeeze is on for businesses, many will be looking at areas where they can cut costs and these are often made in marketing strategies.

For many, search engine optimisation (SEO) is often a cost that’s cut, as perhaps it’s perceived that the benefits take longer to realise and are less tangible. However, dumping SEO can mean missing out on a fantastic cheap growth opportunity!

If you’re one of the businesses re-evaluating the future of your marketing strategy, consider the following before making your decision:

1. Ongoing Returns.
The value of SEO continues well after the actual optimisation has finished. Unlike other marketing, (PPC) where the value diminishes quickly after a campaign, SEO continues to generate results, at no additional cost!

2. The traffic is “free”.
While we understand the allure of PPC (fast, guaranteed, qualified traffic), it does cost for each visitor you receive. If you stop paying, your traffic stops. SEO, on the other hand, provides free traffic so your costs are easier to control. Plus, Internet searchers PREFER the natural search listings – 65% of users click on natural results in preference to PPC.

3. Go against the trend
While other businesses might shy away from SEO, or fail to understand it’s importance or benefits, it’s a great chance for businesses to capitalise on marginally lower competition. It could help generate quicker results.

4. Untapped Opportunities
There are still many untapped niches in terms of SEO, especially within localised and specialist industry sectors. Again this offers great growth opportunities for smart business operators, who can quickly climb to the top of their niche market.

5. Leverage the money saving trends online
Consumers ARE being more frugal with their spending and the online space is where they’re doing their comparison shopping. It’s vital for your business to be visible to them, which is why SEO is critical. Google is where the comparison shopping begins and where you need to be found – specifically within the first 30 results!

Given the above benefits and the fact it’s much cheaper than other online marketing initiatives, it seems only logical that SEO should actually be the last option you cut in your marketing plans.

If you’re looking for help with promoting your website, FreshWebz can discouss your SEO options with you.

According to metrics and research firm ComScore, the internet population (users over the age of 15) has now reached 1,007,730,000 visitors. The first time it’s broken the 1 billion visitor mark; and in news that will surprise few, Google sites were the home of most of these internet visitors providing access to an astounding 77% of the market.