CRAP! Why Did My Site Drop From PR4 to PR2???

[hellonwheels]

Yep, my site dropped from PR4 to PR2. I didn't lose and spots in the SERPs but
I worked hard to get that PR4. I built hundreds of high PR blog comments and
Edu & Gov backlinks too.

What makes a site lose PR?

The only change I made was that we loaded a mobile version of the site and it
is getting more traffic than the desktop version. Traffic count does seem to
matter for PR.

Could the drop in traffic lead to a PR drop?

 

[jon_xx_x]

Maybe this is a result of Panda update and your rank now just changed?
Just a guess, I don't follow PR enough to say it's accurate.

 

[ICE93]

I Think Someone Just Gave U An free Scrape Blast With Porn Content xD

 

[Jii^2]

PR is a combination of several things. One thing that comes to mind right now is the Panda update that actually lowered the worth of all those comment links. Other things might be the slowing down of new backlinks creation, not creating new content etc.

And if you still rank the same, why do you care? PR is just ONE of the tens or hundreds of things you need to follow. TrustRank, age of the domain, load up times, bounce rates, CTR, etc...

If it brings in the bacon, why care?

 

[JackSparrow]

Mine went from 0 to 3, so all them spammy comments worked LOL

 

[3volut1on]

did you change your host recently?

 

[StiflersMom]

Your long enough on BHW to know that TBPR depends on a crank load of different factors. Maybe you're site was a weak TBPR 4 ... meaning that you had just enough link juice to show a 4 instead of a 3.

Maybe the sites linking to you experienced a PR drop and maybe there are more OBLs now on the sites linking to you.

Maybe the multiplier for specific sites and link types like comments was lowered again (or as others would say: the dampening filter was increased) after Panda.


And there's so much more to it


Just dont get crazy about it and keep building Backlinks as usual ... als long as your traffic keeps growing ... chill

 

[Jii^2]

Your long enough on BHW to know that TBPR depends on a crank load of different factors. Maybe you're site was a weak TBPR 4 ... meaning that you had just enough link juice to show a 4 instead of a 3.

Maybe the sites linking to you experienced a PR drop and maybe there are more OBLs now on the sites linking to you.

Maybe the multiplier for specific sites and link types like comments was lowered again (or as others would say: the dampening filter was increased) after Panda.


And there's so much more to it


Just dont get crazy about it and keep building Backlinks as usual ... als long as your traffic keeps growing ... chill

Rep given.

 

[hellonwheels]

I Think Someone Just Gave U An free Scrape Blast With Porn Content xD

lol, I hope not. Actually, I just just checked my backlink profile and it's about the same but it looks like I lost some .edu backlinks.

PR is a combination of several things. One thing that comes to mind right now is the Panda update that actually lowered the worth of all those comment links. Other things might be the slowing down of new backlinks creation, not creating new content etc.

And if you still rank the same, why do you care? PR is just ONE of the tens or hundreds of things you need to follow. TrustRank, age of the domain, load up times, bounce rates, CTR, etc...

If it brings in the bacon, why care?

Yes, PR is not as important as SERPs, so you have a good point there.
And yes, I have slowed down the backlinks to the site so another good point there.
So, if comment links are being downgraded I guess I will be focusing on getting contextual links in blog comments.

Mine went from 0 to 3, so all them spammy comments worked LOL

lol, good job! Keep it up!

did you change your host recently?

No, no host change, just the addition of the mobile site which resulted in a drop of traffic to the main site.

Your long enough on BHW to know that TBPR depends on a crank load of different factors. Maybe you're site was a weak TBPR 4 ... meaning that you had just enough link juice to show a 4 instead of a 3.

That's possible. Good point.

Maybe the sites linking to you experienced a PR drop and maybe there are more OBLs now on the sites linking to you.

That's possible too.

Maybe the multiplier for specific sites and link types like comments was lowered again (or as others would say: the dampening filter was increased) after Panda.

And that's a possibility too.

And there's so much more to it


Just dont get crazy about it and keep building Backlinks as usual ... als long as your traffic keeps growing ... chill

Yep, I agree...keep building backlinks AND work on many other of the 200 factors in the algo.

 

[KingSimba]

I feel your pain I went from PR 4 to PR 3, and lost some positions

 

[hellonwheels]

I feel your pain I went from PR 4 to PR 3, and lost some positions

Do you know why?

 

[hellonwheels]

PR is a combination of several things. One thing that comes to mind right now is the Panda update that actually lowered the worth of all those comment links.

Did the Panda actually lower the worth of comment links?
I've read a lot of info on the update but haven't read that part.
What is your source for that? I'd like to learn more.

 

[gatesnorton]

The formula is easy: Get more stable backlinks and your will get stable high PR.

 

[hellonwheels]

Ok, I found some info about the Panda devaluing backlinks:

"The problems that many websites faced were the devaluing of their links already gained prior to being captured by the Panda Farmer.
As a result of the update, many hundreds of thousands (if not billions) of links were devalued because they resided upon websites
which the ranking algorithm now deems to be weak.

Coupled with this, on page content which was deemed to contain little content of value was also devalued.
With these two factors combined any sites which participated in linking tactics without much due care and
diligence applied to the sites they left links on, saw dramatic downward movements in the serps."

Luckily for me, my site didn't drop in the SERPs so I must be doing something right.

 

[xollls]

Have you added new fresh content lately? G loves sites that are updated regularly. Not a good idea to leave your website to collect dust.

 

[true3000]

As simple as it sounds make sure you have a good URL structure.

On top of that, there are so many different factors that go into optimizing a site, on and off page. While on page optimization may not be as important as it once was, it can still make the difference between ranking 11th and 1st. Proper canonical usage, heading tags, h1 & h2 tags, keyword usage, external links, local information in footer, url structure, and so on.

With that said, PR is merely the amount of authority Google feels your website has. So if content hasn't been updated, duplicate content has been found, poor link graph, poor on site optimization, or a number of other factors, you can lose authority. Your best bet is to analyze your site with a fine tooth comb, look at your link graph, as well as any social signals your site is giving.

On another note, I don't think Panda has anything to do with a drop in your PR. IMO, Panda is more of a filter than it is an algorithm change. That's why we tend to see several versions of Panda...they update the filter and run it to weed out sites that it deems invaluable.

 

[hellonwheels]

Have you added new fresh content lately? G loves sites that are updated regularly. Not a good idea to leave your website to collect dust.

No. Haven't added any new content lately.

As simple as it sounds make sure you have a good URL structure.

On top of that, there are so many different factors that go into optimizing a site, on and off page. While on page optimization may not be as important as it once was, it can still make the difference between ranking 11th and 1st. Proper canonical usage, heading tags, h1 & h2 tags, keyword usage, external links, local information in footer, url structure, and so on.

With that said, PR is merely the amount of authority Google feels your website has. So if content hasn't been updated, duplicate content has been found, poor link graph, poor on site optimization, or a number of other factors, you can lose authority. Your best bet is to analyze your site with a fine tooth comb, look at your link graph, as well as any social signals your site is giving.

On another note, I don't think Panda has anything to do with a drop in your PR. IMO, Panda is more of a filter than it is an algorithm change. That's why we tend to see several versions of Panda...they update the filter and run it to weed out sites that it deems invaluable.

Fantastic post!!! I'll get to checking all that.

I found a couple of great sites for SEO (not mine): http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/internet/google-ranking-factors.htm

200 Ranking Factors: http://www.performancemediaplacement.com/Google-Ranking-Factors.asp