While I know that this is not a very widely accepted opinion of the current PageRank over position debate, I wanted to give my 2 cents!

Page Rank, or the little green bar on the Google toolbar which gives your site a ranking from N/A – 10 has been around for a good long time now.

Originally it was clear and apparent that Google PageRank was a direct correlation to how Google viewed your site, your positioning, and overall just how well your site was performing.

Then, after (roughly) a year long period of algo changes, google decided it was time to lay the final blow on spam sites, porn, pharmacy, and link farming.

Here is what I believe was the outcome of those changes, and where I expect to see PageRank end up in the future.

    Google has stopped allowing us as SEO’s to use page rank as a determining factor on sites position, and while having a 7PR is still a notable accomplishment, it is not the end-all be-all for SEO any longer.

It is clear that there is a wedge driven between your sites PageRank and the position that you achieve in the SERPs for instance, Post Florida update, after all the pharmacy and junk got purged from google, you can see that even sites with a overall low (2,3,4)PageRank were crawling to the top. Essentially, the linking structures which were causing the bloating of PageRank began to fall away, leaving sites that were more about the content richness and quality of information… exactly what google wanted. Now , Years later , there are still debates as to how important PageRank is to your website. I am going completely against the grain , and stating that PageRank has become a way of determining link popularity… but not in any way directly correlating to your SERP placements. I know I KNOW all the Search Marketing pros out there are most likely going to behead me for this… but you can get great rankings by just coding cleanly, and creating regular, unique and compelling content before you ever place a single reciprocal link. That being said, there is nothing wrong with same “niche” reciprocal linking … SEOs can link anywhere within the “house” of web development and gain PR, however it wont always determine your Authority or relevance in your industry. For those of you who want to argue this point out… and show me how many large PR sites they have WITH position … ask yourself, if you just stuck to subject, knew your Sh** and never got a single reciprocal or 3way link to your site … would it really change your positions?

GmC – Seo Guy

If you’re a “green under the gills” webmaster or even a seasoned “worked on seo before the phrase was coined” online marketing expert, seeing your rankings climb each and every month is always a thrill!

This month I have watched not only my major corporate product (The Affordable Health Insurance Co.) jump but also I have gotten first page rankings for Florida SEO, Florida Search engine Optimization, Boca Raton Florida SEO, and many others for Codesource-seo.com! (This site is like my son, and I’m so proud!)

Currently we are starting work on some exciting products here at iCan

• Our pet care line of products, which includes a pet discount card, and some awesome added bonuses.
• Our Retail line of health and wellness discounts!
• And a number of niche benefit products that I’m sure everyone will enjoy.

And we have a number of great new initiatives in the works.

• Blogs for Everyone!   �
  • Not only did we setup the marketing team with blogs, but now we have blogs in the works for
    • Dr. Lynn Morgan – HCCUA Presidents Blog
    • Ed Shatz – Member Services Blog
    • Ray Brookstein – Major Medical Health insurance Blog
• New Social Sites!
  • iCan Health Insurance on MySpace!
  • iCan Pet Club – Better then Pet Insurance – On MySpace!

And more on the way so stay tuned!

Now although I have gotten some great rankings , some incredible opportunities and interviews with a couple of hard hitting traditional marketers throughout my many years in the industry, NOTHING compares to working in a market like Health Insurance. From the Hundreds of Excellent competitive websites, to each and every one of the “giants” in health insurance having their own team of web marketers, I have had my work cut out for me. On that note, I wanted to give a small nod to the competition, and give you some pointers for beating the big guys!

1. Never Let the really big guys scare you:

   When I took this position, I knew that health insurance was a mighty large term to tackle, full of both big reputable and well known brands, and Joe the local health insurance salesman, all trying to take those top spots. Not to mention the Gov, and ORG sites dedicated to making my job all that much more difficult J After doing some serious Research into my competitor base, I found that all the top names have huge page indexes on all 3 engines, some serious link back from hundreds of affiliates, ISOs and the like. So let’s just call them all 800 LB Gorillas.

   Each of these gorillas has tens of thousands of indexed pages, link backs and plenty of authority, whereas most industries have SEO holes which are easy to find a “fit” with your current site… they have little if any at all ! But what is it that a big lumbering giant does not have? Speed and flexibility! So with some fleet footing and a handle on my patience (and the patience of my company) we started the task of creating a mountain out of our fresh new little molehill.

2. Make sure you have at least 3 original things that the rest don’t!

   For instance, some large organizations in this industry have no need for social or content based communities and networks. They never got involved in the social scene, and most likely will not start (unless they get to read my blog!) because they feel secure in their placement.

3. Never stop optimizing.

   Don’t expect to get anywhere by the “set it and forget it” mentality. There is always a fluctuation in keyword strength; there will always be another 20 new ways to say what you need to say online, another 50 pages of useful and original content that should be placed to show you know your niche. Remember with each day your optimizing, your 800 lb gorilla is watching their own position and hoping that one of the mid size competitors wont “get smart” and become visible!

In short, always stay on your toes, and don’t let a slow climb to the top discourage you. After all, even the big guys started at the back of the index at some point