Last week I was reading about Google’s PageRank formula as it was originally created. As you probably know, PageRank is a numeric value which Google assigns to all the pages in its index, based on the incoming links to a page, to determine the relative value of a page.
Google founders Larry Page (recognize the similarity with PageRank 
) and Sergei Brin stated in their original paper that a page need to be in Google’s index to pass on PageRank.
Want PageRank? Get indexed
That made me wonder if that’s still the case today. At first it seemed logical to me that a page needs to be known by Google to accumulate PageRank and to pass it on to other pages.
Google calculates PageRank on the total network of sites Google has in its index. From that point of view a non-indexed page can’t accumulate PageRank, because Google can’t determine the relative value the page. Or can it?
What about Robots.txt and Meta robots?
But what about pages which have the meta robots tag configured to not index the page but to follow all the links on it (noindex,follow)? And what about pages which are excluded from the index with the Robots.txt file?
I thought I might just ask my network what they thought about the issue. Among others link building expert Wiep Knol replied to me on Twitter:
With the group feature of LinkedIn I thought I might as well ask the question to some experts in the LinkedIn SEO group. At first people had the same reaction as I first did.
But I asked the same follow up questions as above. A very sound answer followed by Marie-Claire Jenkins:
She summarizes it nicely:
“NoIndex is a request to not show the page in the results. PR still passes. NoFollow, PR doesn’t pass but does accumulate”
Not indexed? PageRank still passes on!
If we have to believe what people like Wiep and Marie-Claire Jenkins are saying, than the answer to our question “Does a non-indexed page pass on PageRank?” would be ‘Yes’. And I think they are right.
A page could be not in a search engine index (or Google’s index for this matter) for many reasons. But people can still link to that page. So therefore it could accumulate PageRank.
Following the links
Of course those links need to be on pages which are indexed by Google, so Google will end up at the non-indexed page. Let’s assume it stays out of the index because it’s blocked by Robots.txt.
That means that Google won’t show the page in search results retrieved from its index, but it knows the links to and from that page. Therefore it can add this page to the PageRank calculations of the entire Google network of sites.
Guideline
We actually need to rephrase what the definition is of being in Google’s index. I would opt for the following guideline:
“A page need to have an incoming link visible to Google to accumulate and pass on PageRank”
In this guideline the part ‘visible to Google’ means that the link isn’t nofollowed or is unvisible for search engines for other reasons, like with the use of JavaScript or links from within a password protected environment.
So, does a non-indexed page pass on PageRank? Yep, it does! (if the links to and/or from the page are visible to Google ).
Interesting.. I was wondering the following:
Tag pages usally get high rankings, but Google says that they shouldn’t be indexed, because they won’t have search results pages in their search engine.
If you give your tag pages a noindex, follow tag, would they pass on the same value as if they were indexed?
Better said: would a not-indexed page give the same amount of value as an indexed page?
If so, we could generate lots of tag pages, so much that some people would call it spam. But can you get penalized by pages that are not being indexed?
I’ve actually done a bit of experimentation with this in the past. Google responds best to pages that are indirectly promoted through a proxy. For example if you wanted to increase page rank for site X you do SEO on site Y and link to site X.
In this example it wouldn’t matter if site Y was no-indexed but it would need to pass page rank via dofollow links.
Nice post
I do think it passes PageRank. 1 year ago i did some research where ‘Page A’ (not-indexed) links to ‘Page B’. In this case ‘Page B’ did rank in the SERP. If ‘Page A’ would not pass juice ‘Page B’ should not be ranking that well.
I do wonder if they pass the same amount of Juice if the page was indexed or not indexed? Because a non-indexed page should be considered less or not relevant.
This means the term ‘noindex’ is a bit confusing. Maybe ‘nolist’ would be a better word, because the result of adding a noindex metarobots-tag is that a page will still get indexed but is not listed in the SERP’s. I don’t believe the standard will be adapted, but it is usefull to keep this in mind. So Eduard, Wiep and Marie-Claire, thank you for addressing this!
An uncrawled URL won’t have any outgoing links from it and thus won’t pass any PR out – it can’t pass it because outgoing links are not known.
What I think people confuse here is that “non-indexed” page in Google does not mean it was not crawled and used in PR calculation – so non-indexed (present in full text index for you to find) may well still pass PR, however if it was not crawled at all (due to robots.txt restriction) or anything else then it can’t pass PR out simply because the algorithm won’t know where to pass it to.
Being part of the Google’s huge web-graph may result in passing PR – that’s the whole point of it because they use it to decide which URLs from many candidates actually deserve to be in index or not.
In Google’s view, do you think a link from a non-indexed page is as valuable as an indexed page? If I were Google, I would be skeptical of why the page isn’t indexed and possibly question any outgoing links.
That’s where you can noindex follow al you paginated categories. I’d rather see you putting up a test like this, instead of asking, because nobody knows and you know best from your own experience and could share it with us
@arjan: Google’s guidelines are stating that you don’t want to create pages that are not for users. Does 150.000k tag pages sound usable for users to you
@sint the idea is that your page should be in the index. (which is the way Google calls your ‘list’
)
Btw, this is also the reason that you actually should nofollow every link to you pages that are in your robots.txt, at least if you completely go the ‘pagerank algorithm” way. And still, if there’s enough external linklove, Google will show your page if they think it relevant enough…
Just because a page is protected with .htaccess, nofollow, noindex, etc doesn’t mean Google won’t crawl it. The SERPS are loaded with content that is supposed to be out of bounds.
> The SERPS are loaded with content that is supposed to be out of bounds.
SERPs can contain URLs that can’t be crawled (for whatever reason) – those urls can be ranked on the basis of anchor text and their own PR, however if they are not crawled themselves then they can’t pass PR, this I think is the main question under discussion here
For the novice: why would you not want a page to be indexed by Google that would be interesting enough to be linked to from outside sources? Doorway pages?
Is there exactly a point to this experiment other than proving the founders wrong?
@Arjan
Interesting discussion indeed. Theoretically a link from a non-indexed page weights the same as an indexed page.
Of course Google could have made an adjustment to the PageRank formula, but I don’t think the PageRank formula is that advanced yet.
@Russel
That sounds logical because the PageRank of page A is of course accumulated by pages linking to page A.
@Michel
Thanks
If in your example page B only receives 1 link (from page A) than it would be the case.
As I said before to Arjan, I do think links from indexed and non-indexed pages are treated equally
@Sint
Your welcome!
@Alex
You’re right that there’s a definition problem with “non-indexed”.
Using Robots.txt or Meta robots to exclude pages from a search engine index DOESN’T keep Google from crawling the page and taking it into account with the PageRank calculation.
@Bryan
As discussed in my previous comment, I personally think that the PageRank algorithm weights non-indexed pages the same as indexed pages.
This might be different or it might change, but my feeling is that the PageRank algorithm isn’t that advanced at the moment.
@Roy
Agree, but I it would be even more valuable if you would run a test as well to see if we get the same results
Thanks for adding the note about nofollowing links to pages which are blocked by Robots.txt.
@Russel
We indeed need to make a clear distiction between crawling/indexing and listing a page in the search results (as the algorithm decides), because that’s not the same!
@Wordsmith
(exept for grey/black purposes as you mention)
That’s a good question, I think in most cases the answer to your question is that you wouldn’t
@Myron
The point here is to discuss this issue and learn from eachother!
Robots.txt is a different situation from meta robots – if the page is excluded via robots.txt, then this prevents search engines from crawling it in the first place. Search engines cannot give any values to links they have never seen.
@Roy: here is where the slight difference between the words crawling and indexing comes in I think?
@Ian
There indeed is a difference in crawling between Robots.txt and Meta robots, but there isn’t a difference when it comes to accumulating PageRank.
Also see this nice comparison from Aaron Wall:
http://www.seobook.com/robots-txt-vs-rel-nofollow-vs-meta-robots-nofollow
There is definitively an definition problem with the index vs crawl expression. I’ll point you to http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/crawling-vs-indexing/
Basically, crawling is fetching content to any form of database without processing the result and indexing is to make sense of all this content.
@Samuel
Thanks for point us to that good explaination! Here’s a good extract from the article:
When the conclusion is that non-indexed pages passes on PageRank, then calculating and passing PageRank would be part of the crawling process and not the indexing.
If this is correct, I think this could be the conclusion of this post!
@Eduard – it does not pass PageRank, however, which is the question asked by the article.
nice topic. I am refreshed with your ideas.
I think that pages pass PageRank in the process of crawling, not in the process of indexing.
As i stated earlier on netters.nl it is well known that the indexing of pages happens in a couple steps.
Simply said: crawler/bot 1 takes note of the urls and pages that are there, crawler 2 visits the pages behind the url and puts them in a (shown) list. Crawler 1 may pass pagerank to pages that will not be shown in the list.
how to make blogs crawl by robots. i have my blog in blogspot.com
Marie-Claire Jenkins is correct
I understand that those are the products designed by manufacturers to make them money and if they are endorsed by winning popular professionals, sales will be high.
All spaceship game leveling systems are designed slightly differently,
but there are some general concepts that apply to all games in this genre.
Preparing to apply to the dozens of other game development companies for video game jobs will
enable you to expand and diversify your list of possible employers, and your chances of getting hired will increase tremendously.
I understand that those are the products designed
by manufacturers to make them money and if they are endorsed
by winning popular professionals, sales will be high.
Say you’re doing as well at Chemistry, and as you are doing at Maths Extension 2, then instead of splitting your study time equally between the two (just because they are both worth 2 units each), you should spend more time on Extension 2, simply because it scales higher. Harry Potter Hogwarts is one more entry into this new series of LEGO board games.
When you open it, music starts playing, and
you do not have to do anything else but adjust the volume and
close it when you want it to be done. Perhaps there is a news broadcast you want to check, or perhaps a vital sports game you cannot miss.
Some radio stations have also started making use
of streaming MP3 format, which could be played through Winamp.
A growing number of people are finding that
they are unable to visit their favorite site for one reason
or the next. You need to make real efforts towards inviting your friends to your fan page.
On top to the number of friends, you can get social proof
using your wall ‘ all you need is few people who write on your wall on regular basis.
In the move to digital downloads, publishers have been intent on maintaining
the physical game price points. And as the Internet is a source for all
sorts of software and programs, then we might as well mention the 3D animated screensavers.
So, diversify by investing in fixed deposits of different terms,
PPF, debt funds and fixed maturity plans.
Much like Safari, the Camera app, the App Store and i – Pod, Game Center has no option to
be deleted when editing your apps. Imagine never having to worry about what
to wear to work, and even the infuriating traffic
jams that never seem to end. In this addictive puzzle game, catch that damn fly and
avoid those tricky obstacles.
Over time, many of these radio personnel will be readily agreeable to
featuring the entrepreneur whenever they release new products or
services. Her first movie was Holiday in the Sun in the year 2001, Help in
the year 2004. ” Many of these people knew that drugs were wrong, but elected the easy route of following the popular opinion.
The developers are saying that Defiance is a pixel perfect shooter, so if you aim at your target’s head it WILL be a headshot instead of the invisible dice rolling a 5 and telling you that you somehow missed. Age Level – A good factor to write about is the appropriate age level for the video game that you are reviewing. But what happens when a player runs out of race tokens.
It does appear, however, that hypnosis can help a person
achieve his or her weight loss goals. In fact, I always suggest to those overweight vegetarians to keep to a
max of 4 pounds a week so you won’t suffer loose skin post weight loss. Now, the average healthy amount people are supposed to lose is 2 pounds per week.
clients, Rachel, who got back together with her ex.
It should come as no surprise that i – Tunes is loaded full of pirate apps
for i – Phone, i – Pod Touch, and i – Pad. For the
purposes of this game, a “set” is at least three cards of equal value such as three Jacks or three fours
and a “sequence” is made up of at least four cards that are of the same suit and run sequentially such
as three, four, five, and six of spades.
According to statistics, “Internet radio attracts an upper-income audience, with weekly Internet radio listeners 36% more likely to live in a household with annual income of $100K+ than the general US population 18+”.
One of the best internet radio apps I’ve found so far on the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace is for Last. With the Worldmate Nokia 5800 Xpress – Music application you can keep track of the current times in up to five different cities worldwide at a go.
Meet Ira – Our Wi fi Internet radio adapter that connects automatically to
any wireless Internet network. Perhaps there is a news broadcast
you want to check, or perhaps a vital sports game you cannot miss.
This is a fantastic app for people who travel and it now
supports multitasking.
Pandora is built around algorithms that will
customize the stations based on input from the user and
will match other songs based on melody, tone,
and other aspects of the music selected. This will consequently put many of them
out of business or in bankruptcy. Broadcast your first radio show to
the world and enjoy the interaction with the listeners of the online radio community.
In most cases they are, but when it comes to updates, patches, etc to the mmorpgs.
Finding good outsourcing companies is the key, as naturally you do not want to lower the quality of the service.
Next Jim Deacove developed a few of his own board games based on the principles of cooperation,
group strategy and joint problem solving.
I understand that those are the products designed by manufacturers to make them money and if they are endorsed by winning popular professionals,
sales will be high. It should come as no surprise that i – Tunes is loaded full of
pirate apps for i – Phone, i – Pod Touch, and i –
Pad. The most unique thing about Ouya is that it is said to be “open” — although what
this means is up for interpretation.
One thing that is fast becoming a great tool for online music promotions is internet radio.
There are quite a few to choose from such as the Roberts stream 83i or the Tangent Quattro which are both good examples of internet radios.
The interface is user-friendly and intuitive, providing
you with an easy way of navigating through the settings, configuring playlists and
managing your media collections.
This has led to an explosion of new radio stations and new ways to access existing radio stations with new
facilities. In addition to music, they broadcast preaching and teaching from Jimmy Swaggert and other pastors and
teachers who work with the ministry. The interface
is user-friendly and intuitive, providing you with an easy way of navigating
through the settings, configuring playlists and managing your
media collections.
Use all tools to demonstrate your innovative thinking and to plan
an impeccable happening. You can also change how many are displayed in this box.
And it’s not like Facebook to remain behind the hidden object games frenzy.
Entertainment industry and other business establishments
have seen a heavy growth with the number of online applications developed.
* listeners anywhere in the world to listen at no cost to
them;. The interface is user-friendly and intuitive,
providing you with an easy way of navigating through the settings, configuring playlists and managing your media collections.
Congress tried in 2007 to pass a measure that would lock in
the rate that could be charged through 2010 at 7. In addition to
music, there is a wealth of other audio and informational materials out there to investigate.
Individuals have acquired different software and programe through which you
could download these videos.
Literally wiping sweat from my forehead after doing my best 90s
dance moves to a memorable mix of old school joints from the likes
of Special Ed, Eric B. Her first movie was Holiday in the Sun in the year 2001, Help in
the year 2004. ” Many of these people knew that drugs were wrong, but elected the easy route of following the popular opinion.
Even though your goal is just to lose 5 pounds in a
week, you should be strict with what you do so as not to inadvertently undo all your hard work for vegetarian weight loss.
Anyone who dares to make a closer inspection will find the underlying difference.
Now, the average healthy amount people are supposed to lose is 2 pounds per week.
It iis based on computer with electrographic sensor technology.
All spaceship game leveling systems are designed slightly
differently, but there are some general concepts that apply
to all games in this genre. Preparing to apply to the dozens
of other game development companies for video game jobs will enable you
to expand and diversify your list of possible employers, and your chances of getting hired will increase tremendously.
This has led to an explosion of new radio stations and new ways to access existing radio stations with
new facilities. In addition to music, they broadcast preaching
and teaching from Jimmy Swaggert and other pastors and teachers who work with the ministry.
The interface is user-friendly and intuitive,
providing you with an easy way of navigating through the settings, configuring playlists and managing your media collections.
In the four tournaments since his first of the season, he.
Finding good outsourcing companies is the key, as
naturally you do not want to lower the quality of the service.
It’s fast to build and play and will challenge your memory.
According to statistics, “Internet radio attracts an upper-income audience, with weekly Internet radio listeners 36% more likely to live in a household with annual income of $100K+ than the general US population 18+”.
Remember that most dorm room radio stations out there
may or may not be online from time to time and that cannot be
blamed on the app, however this does hinder the experience of Internet
radio on the i – Phone. Some radio stations have also started making use of streaming MP3 format, which could be played through Winamp.