I started writing this story just before the recent updates began on August 24th or thereabouts… Some facts have since changed (eg. my PR is now ZERO again!) This is a bit of a ramble because I’m tired. But then this issue has been around for months, and never seems to subside:

PPP vs. PR – Why PPP won’t drop PR any time soon or ever?

“…I did get my own PR back, though only a 2 compared with the three or four I used to have. I’m not exactly sure why I lost my PR in the first place, I think I had partially destroyed my PR in 2006 when I refounded my blog… My other blog is slowly regaining PR too, so even with PPP posts and not kowtowing to Godgle, it’s possible to have a PR. But certainly doing PPP can and usually does lead to PR0 so it’s no wonder that PPP constantly needs a new influx of PR rated blogs.

The thing is: PPP has been promising since LAST summer (2007) to remove PR from the rankings … I think all PPP’s bloggers know now that that isn’t going to happen any time soon. In fact, it is UNLIKELY it will happen IMHO, despite claims otherwise.

The reality is: PPP provides a lot of income while SS is still starting up. So it’s difficult for PPP to cut out one revenue stream while the other isn’t fully developed yet. PPP is slowly encouraging uptake of RR and alternatives to PR but without removing it from the options in the Advertisers section completely, the advertisers will still likely use it as a means to filter blogs.

If you blog because you like blogging, then do what’s best for your blog… accept or refuse PPP posts/links as you think fit. If you just blog for money, then you can keep feeding the demon by starting new blogs and repeating the process. In either case, don’t hold your breath waiting for PPP to remove PR requirements. They won’t do it to suit you, or me. They’ll do it to suit their own needs.”

Google’s Rank Spank: Part Deux

Well, it seems Google is doing that big dance again with its pagerank. Has it really affected me? In some ways, the answer is a resounding ‘yes/no’. Since November 2007, my blog income has become more stable since then, my traffic is up leaps and bounds, and my blog is improving in many ways! While income from companies like Payperpost is definitely on the wane, other sources are picking up to replace them. Hence, this justifies my belief: diversifying your income sources is VERY important both online and offline.

Have I given into Google’s demands on ‘nofollow’ links? Well, truthfully, I’ve been tempted to do so, but only mildly so. I’m too busy running the blog, developing my audience, and so on. I have considered giving in, but it’s just too complicated now to do so. I’d have to backtrack on promises I made to my advertisers, my own pride helps that to stick in my throat. So it’s a road I don’t want to travel.

Yes, I sell links

And yes, I’m still selling links. No, really, I do. I have done for ages, through text link ads, through my own sales, through PayPerPost, through paid posts, etc. I sell them simply and I choose NOT to add the rel=nofollow tag that Google virtually demanded everyone use because their search engine formulae weren’t upto snuff.

In reality, I don’t sell text links for PR. I sell them for traffic, for advertising, for people to check out on this blog and on others. I sell them so that advertisers pay me to cover my server costs, I sell them to earn a little extra money. If I had to rely on Adsense I’d be running ALL my blogs on Geocities instead simply because Adsense clicks have been very poor performers for me, across ALL my sites.

Links vs. Adsense

Also, I BELIEVE selling links is a far better model for most advertising purposes: it’s easier to track, easier to set up, virtually fraud proof, and very reliable. Using Google’s alternative method is (AdSense) is fraught with issues, including fraudulent clicks, banned accounts, optimizing the positions, quality scores, … the list goes on and on. Many bloggers have been burned by AdSense for fraudulent clicks or impressions, and many bloggers have lost all the monies in their account. For advertisers, click fraud is equally a huge problem: I’m not allowed to divulge how many clicks I don’t get credited for as an Adsense advertiser, but the number is significant. AdSense also takes up space, and typically when users don’t click, the website DOESN’T get much or any credit.

For Advertisers, clicks make sense

I also sell links for advertisers to garner traffic, and I believe selling text links is a lot less hassle than AdWords for advertisers. Why? Simply, you buy them once, and you forget about them until the subscription expires or renews. Users can click on them as many times as you like, you won’t experience click fraud. Really, text links are a much simpler form of advertising, and quite effective. You don’t have to play with your keywords, positioning, or watch your budget eaten up. Prices also don’t vary that much in a short time, on AdWords the prices of keywords seems to vary as the wind.

So, with a PR0, am I going to kowtow to Google this time? Unlikely, i think there will be a time when Google search engine is implicitly able to determine which links are paid and which are not, without any nofollow. I see little or no reason to change, esp. as Google sells links that transfer pagerank. Worse, if everyone nofollowed every link on their blog, as some bloggers and sites have done, it will make pagerank virtually useless. So, I’m not changing my ways; Google, if it wants to remain relevant simply has to figure out this issue for themselves.