Chicago SEO
Fake PageRank. Is this new to you? It was new to me until I saw a link request come through the other day from a website that claimed to have a Page Rank of 5. Of course, being dutiful, I checked the site out, not really intending on taking the bait, but noticed something odd. There were only 5 articles on the site and the domain age was only a few months. How could this website have a PageRank 5? Let's back up though...I'm going to tell you what a fake page rank actually is, how to check for it, and unfortunately, how to get one. Since PageRank is important for Search Engine Optimization, it's not surprising that people have found a way around getting high PR websites the ethical way. Read along to see how shady SEOs are scamming poor webmasters into paying for links on websites that will soon lose their relevancy.
Fake PageRank: What is it?
A real PageRank is Google's way of giving a website credibility and authority. A Fake PageRank is this: when a domain expires, the PageRank of the domain is still valid until Google updates their PageRank for all domains. Some cunning SEOs have bought up those high PR domains and built websites on them in a matter of days creating...a brand new website with AWESOME PageRank. But the PageRank is from the old website. Most definitely not the new one.
How to GET Fake PageRank
Just like I said - buy an expired domain with awesome PR. If you participate in Link Exchanges, which I suggest you do NOT - watch out for websites that are new, have little content on them, or appear to be spammy. They probably are!
How to check for Fake PageRank
The easiest way? Search for the domain in Google search, http, .com and all. What you'll find is a ton of 404 Not Found links from the previous website. You can also find out how long the website has been up by checking WhoIs and any Domain Registrar. If the website is less than a year old - the PR is most likely bought and paid for.
Fake Page Rank: What is it and how to detect it
