Using Google’s “Random Walk” and My Guesses to Rise in Search Results

Many years ago, Larry Page of Google invented “Page” rank as one of the variables in his method to index the billions of sites on the Internet.  Since that day, every site owner has tried to figure out how to improve it, why it’s important, and what it means if it means anything at all.  I’ve never really put much focus on it but it’s like religion.  You’re never quite sure if it’s real but you really don’t want to bare the consequences of not practicing it and it provides some good if you do it right.

Everyone knows of pagerank but most really have no idea the “real” definition.  Pagerank is this

“ the probability that you will eventually end up on that URL.  So, if a URL has a pagerank of 5, then there is a 50% chance that your random walk will eventually take you there. And moving up from a 50% chance to a 60% chance takes a lot more links than moving from a 10% chance to a 20% chance would require.”

Matt Cutts added this

The best way to think about it is that the number of pages that we crawl is roughly proportional to your pagerank.  So if you have a lot of incoming links on your root page, we’ll definitely crawl that. Then your root page may link to other pages, and those will get pagerank and we’ll crawl those as well. As you get deeper and deeper in your site, however pagerank tends to decline.

So taking this all into account, do we as multiple domain owners in all different niches have any chance? Do we have to concentrate all our efforts on one site or buy tons of high PR links? I’ve come up with my own plan and it seems to keep my sites ranking well on search results but not necessarily on actual pagerank.  I’d rather have hundreds of uniques from the search engines than high pagerank.  So if pagerank is the chance a “random walk” will lead to you,  the obvious goal is to make sure you are located on the path.  Here’s my uneducated, randomly guessing way of doing it

1.  I stay in my niche.  This way I am able to link all my domains together and still keep all the links relelvant.  It’s a circle of 100 domains but each of them might catch someone on their “random walk” and now they are on my made path.

2. I buy high pageranked domains or sites.  I have purchased these on drops or on forums but they all have been in my niche.  I’ve purchased three strong PR6 domains in the last 4 months and now they are “directories” to the best in my niche of the web but of course “the best” tend to be my sites.

3. Google loves when you work with education.  Living in a University town and working with lots of schools has it’s rewards.  I am surrounded by PR8.  I always hint that I prefer thanks from the class with a nice link from Mrs. Johnson’s 1st grade class’ webpage.

4. Making the site have value.  My sites may not be all that pretty but they do provide data and usually it’s complete.  If I do a plant site I try and cover all the available varieties.  I feel the pictures and data are what the visitors are actually looking for.  I think to myself,  if I came to this site would I stick around or would I simply click the back button.  If it’s the latter I try to figure out how I can provide something worth staying for.

5. My own photos.  You’ve heard me say it before but if you want good traffic take your own photos.  They stand out on google images when every other image result has the same standard photo and yours is different.

6. Update your sites regularly…….yeah yeah, you don’t have time.   If you want to make money then you’re gonna have to spend it or lose some sleep.  I do a little of both.  YOU pick the topics and guidelines though.  Otherwise the boys in India are going to do a Google search and then write about the same stuff.

7. Chose a name the exudes authority.  Lazy Stripper not withstanding, most of my sites’ domains  have the keyword in the title.    You have a few seconds to convince a new reader that your site is worth staying for.  A solid domain name is a start and then the layout and info right there above the fold are the other initial things they see.   I try and make the most of it.  I keep the categories there and an interesting picture.

Nothing here is revolutionary, I realize that.  It’s how I TRY and do things , but like many of us I run out of time.  My goals and desires often will never get past the writing on a notebook but I am always working on it.  Results are all that matter and how we reach those results are the fun of business.  As long as they are moral and legal I am willing to try anything in the chase of eyeballs and money.