Actually I decided some time ago that mentioning the Google Page Rank updates is not worth more than a line or two. That because it is actually just means data that has been there for months and was pushed out by Google to be viewed in public on the Google toolbar and tons of other tools.

But with the recent update end of September I think there were a couple of sites and webmasters i work with that saw a Page Rank increase of TWO … yes the points were updated and the green bar showed e.g. PR6 instead of 4….

Well – this could mean it jumped from 4.9 to 6.0 – a mere 1,1 points … but ok. as well it could have been 4.0 to 6.95 … unlikely but possible.

A lot of people on webmaster forums, as well as some of these people that I work with are not very SEO savvy or to rephrase that, they still believe in the good old SEO thing of buying page rank … [rAAA - the forbidden words.... :-] … or better selling page rank.

Well – I was advertising with some of them for a long time – and if you read my blog for the last years you know that I always talked about link damping and aging of links… for two years or so already… and my strategy has always been that if I buy advertising I not only want a link but a reference from a related site, something where a possible target audience could be met.

And nowadays that the page rank value scale was changed a bit to probably appreciate some kind of back links that have been there for some time to a younger site the publisher I had these ads with started to get the Page Rank fever – or better pagerank malaria – and started bitching around that their site is worth double, tripple or even 500% more than it was some days before…

Why? Because the PR is SOO much higher. suddenly!

So my 1, 1.5 or even 2 year continious ad spendings were not really appreciated but I was presented with the option “You sucker pay 5 times more or I will remove your links” …

Hmmm … there are clients that can piss you off – and there are suppliers that piss you off – just with that kind of eratic and unprofessional behaviour… just like that little jerk.

I mean who in the “real” world would accept a supplier increasing prices by 500% when the supply HEAVILY outweights the demand?

I guess nobody. Not the best products would allow such a price increase.

And that’s what I call “Page Rank Malaria” … with the believs of 2003 myths found somewhere in a forum combined with the business experience of a seven year old buy you would tell your clients – you pay me 5x more or I kill you.

Well – That kind of behaviour shows off shortsight and selling incompetence – everybody enjoys stable relations and not hassling around with prices just because somebody at Google farted or checked in a source code from 2003 instead of the current 2006 …

I just told that guy – screw you and your ads – I’ll go find somebody else and might pay HIM five times more than you – just so YOU won’t get my money any more.

Do YOU also think a site can double it’s value overnight because of Google?

Do YOU think it’s ethical to try to rise prices by 200-500% because of a Page Rank update?

Do YOU think somebody should accept such an “offer” – or better threat?

Do YOU care about Page Rank?