RIP Google PageRank – Toolbar Data Not To Update Again
With the last Google PageRank toolbar update dating back to December 2013, it seems that people have been hanging onto the fact that they are still boasting their PageRank score and in many cases, using the metric as an effort to sell web links from their site despite that practice breaking Google Guidelines but yesterday we found out that Google will no longer be updating the PageRank figure found on toolbar indicators after John Mueller hosted a Webmaster Help Hangout.
Although the toolbar figure was well-known for not being 100% up to date, previously it was believed that the data shown related to the authority score that Google gave a site within the last 3 months, however that quickly become a buying and selling metric on the link marketplace.
After Matt Cutts had previously said that Google had no plans to switch off the PageRank data due to some users finding the score helpful, Google have taken a huge step back to announce that they now no longer intend to update toolbar PageRank scores.
Jump to the point in the video where John explains a little more about the death of toolbar PR below:
Hat tip to BS.
6 Comments
Barry Schwartz
Thanks for the hat tip 🙂
Alex Graves
Not a problem Barry 🙂
Erick
Thanks for the article, now we know the Toolbar pagerank won’t be updated, although what about all the “check pagerank” tools such as checkpagerank.net and others ? Do they qualify as “toolbar pagerank” as well ?
Alex Graves
Hi Erick,
Yeah, these tools all make use of toolbar PR as that is the only source of the metric that was openly visible to the public.
If Google are telling the truth about this, then those sites have just lost their niche marketplace and will become pointless other than to check old data, although that hasn’t stopped people flooding to them since December 2013 🙂
Rémi Merlo - http://www.remimerlo.com
So, the pagerank stats won’t be used used anymore? If will be stuck on the last update forever?
Dirk - http://www.serpshake.com
Really? I was really speechless when I read this! I am still relying on page rank and only to learn that it can no longer be used. Well, thanks for the info. I’d still have to deal with that idea but thanks anyway!