WHAT IS PAGERANK?

PageRank is Google's method of measuring a page's "importance." When all other factors such as Title tag and keywords are taken into account, Google uses PageRank to adjust results so that sites that are deemed more "important" will move up in the results page of a user's search accordingly.

A basic overview of how Google ranks pages in their search engine results pages (SERPS) follows:
1) Find all pages matching the keywords of the search.
2) Rank accordingly using "on the page factors" such as keywords.
3) Calculate in the inbound anchor text.
4) Adjust the results by PageRank scores.

In reality, it’s slightly more complex. It’s worth noting that PageRank is a multiplier and is not just simply added to the score. Thus, if your page had a PageRank of zero, it would rank at the very end of the SERPS.

HOW IS PAGERANK DETERMINED?

The Google theory goes that if Page A links to Page B, then Page A is saying that Page B is an important page. PageRank also factors in the importance of the links pointing to a page. If a page has important links pointing to it, then its links to other pages also become important. The actual text of the link is irrelevant when discussing PageRank.

HOW CAN YOU TELL WHAT A PAGE'S RANK IS?

To learn what a page’s PageRank is, you can download a toolbar for Internet Explorer from http://toolbar.google.com. Once installed, there will be a bar graph at the top of the browser showing a version of PageRank for the page you’re browsing. When you hold the mouse over the bar, you see a number from zero to ten. (If you don’t see the number, you may have an older version of the toolbar installed. You will need to completely uninstall it, reboot your computer and reinstall the latest version. Once this is done, you should be able to see the PageRank number.)

The Google toolbar also comes standard on the popular Firefox Browser. Also, there are several sites that will allow you to input a web address and determine the sites page rank. These sites can be found with a quick google search. I have decided not to recommend a specific one, as many of these sites make money off advertising, and I wish to remain as unbiased as possible. Please note that the pagerank value on the toolbar is just an estimate of the actual pagerank. Google uses a semi-logarithmic scale to determine pagerank, and thus the different between a site with a rank of 3 and a site with a rank of 4 is much greater than it appears.

HOW IMPORTANT ARE INCOMING LINKS TO MY PAGE?

While Google uses several different variables to determine pagerank, incoming links are by far the most important. Meta tags and site descriptions can all be manipulated by site designers. It is much more difficult to manipulate incoming links (until now!) and that’s why Google uses incoming links as a major criteria for determining pagerank. Google counts each incoming link like a vote for your site. The more votes you have, the higher your site ranks in the search results.

HOW DO YOU GET INCOMING LINKS?

Note: It is possible to manipulate your sites pagerank using linkfarms and guestbooks. (I do not recommend this, as Google may permanently ban your site) This was a great way to increase you sites rank, until Google began punishing sites that take part in such behavior. Try to aviod having your site listed on a page that contains more than a dozen links. 

Many people exchange links or sell space on their page to others as a way of increasing their rank.  While this technique works, it is not ideal.  Buying a spot on a highly ranked page is not cost effective, and you put yourself at risk because you have not way of actually controling where your link is placed, and how long it lasts. I would suggest learning how to create your own links over paying someone to do it for you.  

Some savy internet marketers and SEO experts are very good at establishing large groups of incoming links.  This is a process that takes time and practice.  Google's system is very solid, but with the right knowledge, you could be increasing your list of incoming links very quickly.