Why PageRank Drops
Have you seen your Google PageRank rise to a PR4 or PR5 then suddenly drop without notice? If so then you might be wondering why. There are several reasons why your PageRank might drop and not all of them have anything to do with blackhat search engine optimization practices.
Obviously, if you get caught buying or selling links then that could cause your PageRank to fall. Some websites have completely fallen off the PageRank radar for this practice. But it’s not the only reason your PageRank might fall.
To fully understand and appreciate Google’s PageRank model, you need to understand what it was implemented for in the first place. Initially, Google wanted a way to test websites for their authority and so the PageRank system was devised to help them do that. It started as just a way to measure the number and quality of inbound links to a website, but I think PageRank has expanded to more than just links. Essentially anything that would be a measure of a website’s authority can affect PageRank moving up or down.
If you’ve seen a sudden decline in traffic to your website and that decline has continued steadily over several months then you might see a drop in PageRank. If the quality of your website traffic has declined over time, that too could affect your PageRank. Google also likes to see websites that are updated often so if you have a blog and write to it less often over a three or six month period then you could see your PageRank fall on that basis.
What it all boils down to is whether or not Google sees your as gaining in authority or declining in authority relative to other properties within your niche. Your PageRank will rise and fall along with that relative authority position.
5 Responses to “Why PageRank Drops”
The Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Journal is Written by SEO Expert:
Nick Stamoulis
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Brick Marketing - SEO Company
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Thank you for posting this. I didn’t know buying or selling links can cause pageranks to drop. Google is pretty smart.
My web site fall to PR 0 and 1 last year for 2 times… now is with PR 5 and I hope it get’s better…
I think Google is always changing it’s rules… so… a web site cannot be 100% tuned for all new features…
I just noticed my page ranked had dropped from three to two, but I can’t think of any reasons why this would be. The reasons listed here don’t apply at all, as the reverse is true. I’ve been seeing more traffic, have increased my posting frequency (it’s a blog) and have more other authoritative sites link to me than ever before. I’m not doing anything weird in any other regard either. I sure hope it turns around. It’s not fun being rewarded with a drop in PR when you’re really putting in a lot of work getting your site noticed.
@Christine – Thanks for reading and your comment. If your Google organic visitors are remaining the same then, I would not worry about the Page Rank drop and continue building your website the way you have been…