Google has confirmed that it is removing Toolbar PageRank entirely, as the 1-10 scale no longer provides a useful means for content creators to measure the success of their ad campaigns. This means that marketers will soon be unable to view data for the metric. Google is rolling out the changes now, but it might take a couple of weeks for it to take effect globally.
The end of Toolbar PageRank is not a surprise, as Google has not provided an official update for three years. However, the search engine giant has confirmed that PageRank will still be used in its algorithms, so users will still be able to get access to the important information internally. From a SEO perspective, this may make it a little more difficult for users to understand the value of sites with legacy PageRank for a short while.
A spokesperson for Google said “This update does not change anything for webmasters or SEOs in how their sites show up in search. Webmasters can use Search Console to get details about their content’s presence in Google Search, including information about links pointing to their sites. As the Internet and our understanding of the Internet have grown in complexity, the Toolbar PageRank score has become less useful to users as a single isolated metric.” Google added that its removal will help to ensure that marketers are not confused about the significance of the metric.
PageRank has been given increasingly less prominence on Google’s browsers and toolbars in recent years, and it has caused problems for some users who were losing their legacy PageRank when switching over from http to https. Despite its futility as an isolated metric, it still continues to be cited as a considerable influence in various SEO tips and tactics blogs.
It has been a busy few days for Google, as it has also announced a new scheduled upload feature for AdWords, which will help advertisers keep on top of their customised ads by dynamically inserting products, prices and promotions automatically on a weekly or monthly basis. This means that AdWords users won’t have to sign in and update this information themselves, which will save time and deliver a better end-user experience for customers.
