Every once in a while we get an email asking how to increase a website’s Google PageRank. Actually if you head into most of the forums for new webmasters, the questions about PageRank can be endless. Usually they come in one of the following flavours: “How can I increase my Google PageRank?”, “Is there a Google PageRank update going on?” or “When will the next Google PageRank update be?”…In the past we have covered the story behind Google PageRank, but we wanted to take a new look at the topic. Actually, what gave us the idea was an experiment the preeminent Google blogger Matt Cutts is doing right now. Actually, I don’t think he attempted to create this experiment, but it does give us an opening to discuss PageRank.

First some background. Matt Cutts is the head of Google’s Webspam team, but he is more than that. He is by far one of the most popular voices of Google in the SEO world. When Matt discusses a topic on his blog, people listen and his message spreads. He is considered an authoritative source and his website is a popular destination for those with interest in Google and SEO. How popular? Well, Matt shared his website stats with his readers at the end of 2008. These were the numbers for 2008: ” 3.4M visits and 5.7M pageviews, plus 46K RSS readers, 7986 followers on my Twitter stream, and 1607 subscribers on FriendFeed.” Wow! These are numbers most of us would dream for. Oh, and Matt’s blog has a healthy PageRank over 5.

Actually, that was before he started his experiment. The homebase, of his blog was mattcutts.com or it was until April 26th 2009. On that day, Matt annouced he was moving his blog from the domain with his name to dullest.com using a 302 redirect. All the material moved, all the content, all his insights could now only be found at Dullest.com. And  what about his PageRank? A big fat goose-egg. Yep a big 0.

So now we come to the discussion about PageRank. It doesn’t matter. Read that line again. It doesn’t matter. A green bar, with a number does not mean anything. Do you think Matt’s site becomes less important because he has less PageRank? Think about this, do his opinions carry less weight because his PageRank is zero? Will people read his site less now that he has no PageRank?  I know this is might seem absurd to some, but sometimes you need to be absurd to make a point. Still not clear? Let me explain it this way: You should not care or worry about your PageRank. PageRank can’t be taken to the bank. PageRank does not mean you make more money. Think of it this way. How good is fame without the money?

Our advice is simple: Its all about the website and content. Whatever the focus of your website, concentrate on building the best site you can. That means either creating fresh useful content or offering quality products for sell. Visitors will come back again and tell their friends or customers will be happy with their experience and share it with others. In the end, your PageRank might even go up, but it should never be your primary focus.

Oh, and if you’re worried about Matt Cutts , don’t be. I can guarantee he’s not losing any sleep on his PageRank. Why you ask? Because it doesn’t matter. His content simply gets people coming back again and again. The PageRank issue will take care of itself. And that’s how you should approach it too. Concentrate on the content and let the algorithm worry about the PageRank.