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GOOGLE PAGERANK PUZZLE 4

The New Enhanced Google PageRank 4: Recombining The Missing Parts

Preceding overview of the basic data and influencing factors, utilized as input for most interesting PageRank expert analysis, enables the better understanding and anticipating the most promising among recent theories for effective website marketing plans and strategies.

NOTABLE THEORIES

Search guru Dan Thies, the owner of SEO Research Labs offers a credible, extremely well documented and explained theory that takes most of the previously discussed influencing factors into consideration, including both Kaltix Topic Sensitive PageRank and significant PageRank computing speed enhancement, along with Applied Semantics' technology. Complete Dan Thies' article Special Report:How To Prosper With The New Google could be downloaded in PDF format.

Phil Craven, SEO expert from UK, in his article Google's "Florida" Update prefer the Hilltop / expert system hypothesis. He also offers some evidence that backs up his theory. But, he also considers the theory on Google using Topic Sensitive PageRank (TSPR), by Dan Thies, "the only other theory that I believe has a chance of being right". He also points out that both expert system and TSPR theories "would cause Google to use 2 different algorithms depending on the searchterm used", which was evident from many examples analyzed on all significant SEO forums, and checked on www.scroogle.org.

There is also an interesting discussion regarding both theories on SEO Forum, and both Phil Craven and Dan Thies have participated, revealing their theories have many similarities.

According to Search Engine Position's article Google Florida Update, their theory is based on both Applied Semantics Ontology and Kaltix technology, particularly the part that speeds up the ranking process. In their second article Google's Florida Update: One Month Later they elaborate this theory further, taking Applied Semantics Concept Server, and its ability to learn and refine results into the consideration.

Additional data, necessary for the refinement are provided by monitoring of click thorough, already utilized by search engines to supervise the relevancy of their search results. This technology also plays a part in determining results on Ask Jeeves/Teoma. Garrett French, in his article Why Is Google Tracking SERP Clicks? cites Dan Thies information that "Google has been tracking click thorough on their search engine result pages (SERPs) for some time", as Google search result page source code shows. His opinion was that click through tracking could be a part of the algorithm.

Another complementary theory, regarding additional data for the fine-tuning of Applied Semantics Ontology results, is worth mentioning here: Brett Tabke, editor of the WebmasterWorld.com, suggests that Google has the ability to collect good deal of data from users with the Google Toolbar installed (Search Engine Strategies Chicago, December, 2003)

Alan Webb (Webby), one of the famous SEO Chat Forum moderators and Abbacus Internet Marketing CEO, has a similar hypothesis that Google uses both the PageRank and Theming/LocalRank/Hilltop expert system. He suggests that the results are computed on the basis of the old algorithm, and than assigns the LocalRank, which depends on the number of links referenced by websites ranked well based on old algorithm within the specific theme / topic. There is an interesting thread on Seo Chat Forum Becoming an authority & recovering from Austin regarding this theory.

Danny Sullivan, editor of the Search Engine Watch and search guru, stated in the HighRankings forum: "Well, I'm sure Google could do LocalRank if they want to. Moreover, I think they are doing this."

D. Sullivan, in his article What Happened To My Site On Google?, also suggested that Google is currently utilizing two algorithms - the old one on the less competitive searches, and a new advanced one on the more competitive searches, because of the required processor power:

"My belief is that Google, for the first time, has been using two significantly different algorithms at the same time. The "new" system has been used for many queries since the change, but some queries were still handled by the "old" system. More and more queries now appear to be processed by the new system, suggesting that the old algorithm is being phased out entirely."

Sullivan also mentioned that Brett Tabke wrote Successful Site in 12 Months with Google Alone way back in 2002, with useful suggestions for ranking better with Google, and noted that GoogleGuy, Google representative in WebmasterWorld, recommended Tabke's tips to those that want to achieve or regain high positions on Google. In the absence of Google official statements on many specific issues, GoogleGuy's suggestions could be quite handy. Note that there is a website GoogleGuy Says, where all his discussions are underlined.

At the Search Engine Strategies Conference in Chicago, Danny Sullivan gave a keynote speech on Google, discussing what he called 'invisible tabs theory'. He explained the concept further in his article Searching With Invisible Tabs. He believes search engines would use tabs, with its own individual databases, for search term based organization. These tabs would be similar to Google News, Images, Directory, Froogle, Groups, Books, etc., but there would be many more, and they would be invisible to the users. As Google already have access to multiple resources mentioned above, it sounds quite logical that these sources will be incorporated into the main search results over time. Steve Berkowitz, the President of Ask Jeeves, also backed up Danny's theory of invisible tabs at the Search Engine Strategies Conference. As AskJeeves uses Teoma, the only complete theme based search engine, he is surely the expert on this subject.

SUMMARY

Whether you think it's enhanced Hilltop algorithm, LocalRank or Topic Sensitive PageRank, the baseline is still the same (if you are not into reverse engineering, which would be against the search engine guidelines): all are accomplished by similar context/topic valued linking and local authoritative reranking, and Kaltix technology ensures significant computing speed enhancement for any ranking algorithm, necessary for implementing any topic oriented system.

In any case it's a variation of theme / topic / subject specific ranking algorithm, analog to Teoma's Subject-Specific Popularity, and a further step to theme based search engine. Regardless of the theory they render, and the expert that conducted it, all the surveys shows that Google enhanced ranking algorithm "favors strongly themed sites with a lot of useful content". (Dan Thies)

Teoma/Ask Jeeves is the first completely theme based search engine, utilizing a ranking system based on local / topic reorganization of the results, when the search is performed. The initial set of results are reranked on the basis of inbound and outbound links of topical authority websites.

All the above advanced technologies are acquired by Google, which apparently has the technology needed to become a second completely theme based search engine, and with a much larger database than Teoma. Combined with Circa technology, it might become quite close to what Larry Page, one of the cofounder of Google, defines as Google ultimate goal:

"The perfect search engine understands exactly what you mean and gives back exactly what you want."

Another in-depth analysis, not provoked by changes in Google algorithm, presented by K-Praxis in October 2003, sounds quite logical, although they neglected to consider Circa technology impact, which is just making it more realistic:

"Personalized and contextual computation of PageRank could mean you are able to (at any given time) compute three very important aspects of a web page

a) its total rank across the web,
b) its content - through content analysis, and
c) its relative rank within a specific context."

The solution for enhanced Google ranking system puzzle is simple, well known and the same as always:

Websites with relevant content (well formatted, logically organized, easily navigable, using natural language, etc.), supported by relevant, on-topic links - both inbound and outbound perform well at all times, regardless of ranking methods and factors.

More specific tips could be found on all notable Search Engine Forums, and incorporated in the analyses and reports by search experts.

User Oriented Design & Ethical Website Marketing Strategies by Distinctia, 2006