Google Pagerank Change

[Luc]

Hello,

We've noticed that Google dropped pagerank on all expiring domain names. This includes...

- Registrar-Hold
- RGP
- PendingDelete
- NJ / Snap / Godadddy

They have reset the pagerank to 0 on all those domains. This applies when using the toolbar or automated scripts and it started happening a few days ago.

This is to serve as a heads up to anyone who buys PR domains off the drops.

Good luck,
Luc

 

[cmason]

Wow! Almost spent high $xxx on a few dozen GoDaddy close-out domains with PR last night. Will definitely be reconsidering now.

Have you found any exceptions to this?

 

[Luc]

So far, no exceptions. However, I would strongly recommend getting the latest Google toolbar installed on IE and checking manually domains which you wish to spend any money on.

Also, it's unknown whether the PR will come back after some content is put up.

 

[JB Lions]

Make sure they're not fake PR and not just some domain being redirected. A lot of "PR domains" I've seen on drop lists are fake PR. Good way to check is put info:www.domainyourechecking.com into Google and if some other site shows up besides the one you just put it, redirected.

 

[cmason]

Make sure they're not fake PR and not just some domain being redirected. A lot of "PR domains" I've seen on drop lists are fake PR. Good way to check is put info:www.domainyourechecking.com into Google and if some other site shows up besides the one you just put it, redirected.

Agreed! I always double/triple check PR as far too many are faked. Typically if the domain is still young (1 or 2 years) and has a PR of 4+, it is fake - not always, of course, but often.

 

[Domainate.com]

I would LOVE for this to be true. Too many idiots out there buy domains solely on PR even when PR can change or get eliminated in a flash. This will lessen the amount of cheap domains with PR and will hopefully help such people back into buying domains based on quality that doesn't change vs. a mystical number that constantly changes.

 

[mrjohn]

The drop was caused by the most recent PR update. Dropping domains always start going to zero for several weeks after the PR update occurs. Then there will be a stretch when the update hasn't occurred for so long that drops with PR will start appearing again.

There's nothing wrong with buying PR domains. It's just that you really need to check the backlinks that anchored that PR.

The big mistake people making when buying PR domains is thinking that PR is this huge, infallible number. Admittedly, that's because love to have quantities assigned to lies they want to believe. PR helps quantify success and helps the ego get through the fact that building a website into something good is a long and hard process.

People want to believe there is a shortcut, and PR's one of the very first things they latch onto because of that.