What is Google PageRank?

Where is Google PageRank from and how do I view it?
The name "Google PageRank" is originated from one of Google's founders Larry Page. It was invented to help Google Search become more precise. PageRank is a "rank" for a website and ranges from zero to ten (0 - 10). You will notice that high respected websites have a higher PageRank assigned whereas new websites will have a lower PageRank.

Popular known websites:

Yahoo http://www.yahoo.com - 9 out of 10 PageRank
MSN http://www.msn.com - 9 out of 10 PageRank
Google http://www.google.com - 10 out of 10 PageRank

Websites that are not as popular as the ones mentioned above will usually have a lower PageRank, something ranging from zero PageRank to 5 PageRank. Google PageRank update's every three to four months but in some cases it can take up to six months before you notice any updates.

To view the PageRank of a website, you can either download the Google Toolbar or use an online tool such as iWEBTOOL's Rank Checker.

The basic understanding of Google PageRank
According to Google, the PageRank given to a website indicates the website's importance, and is calculated from sites linking to a page. For instance, if PAGE A has a text link to PAGE Bthen PAGE B will be ranked higher as PAGE A is "voting" for PAGE B. However, although it seems very straightforward, many different factors are considered while calculating the PageRank. The page casting the vote will be inspected by Google also.
Google analyzes the webpage that has the text link to another website and looks at various qualities of the webpage. For instance, one of the foremost quality is the PageRank of the webpage that has the link to another website. The higher the PageRank of the "linker", the higher the link will value. For example, if PAGE A has a PageRank of 5 and is linking to PAGE B. This link will be valued more as PAGE A has a high PageRank of 5. Whereas if PAGE Ahad a small PageRank of 2 then this link will not be valued as much. Another factor that is taken into consideration is the amount of links on a webpage. If PAGE A has only one link on the page, it will be valued much more than if it were to have five links on the page.
An important information most webmasters tend to forget nowadays is that PageRank isn't as relevant to search results ranking as it use to be. There was a time when PageRank had a very important impact on the search results from Google but in the recent changes, Google has developed new factors and PageRank isn't as critical now.

Frequently Asked Questions on PageRank
How do I view a website's PageRank?
The answer to this question is shown above.
To view the PageRank of a website, you can either download the Google Toolbar or use an online tool such as iWEBTOOL's Rank Checker.How often does the PageRank change/update?
The answer to this question is shown above.
Google PageRank update's every three to four months but in some cases it can take up to six months before you notice any updates.
I have had many websites linking to me, why do I not see a change in my PageRank?
You may not see a significant figure change as the PageRank only goes up to ten. You can only view a rounded and vague figure whereas Google servers have a different and more accurate figure of the PageRank. For instance, you may only see 5 PageRank whereas Google servers may have 5.92 PageRank.
Why do I see two different PageRank ranking on my website?
Google looks at website addresses very precisely and assigns PageRank very specifically. For instance, my-website.com may have a different PageRank from www.my-website.com.

Source: http://www.iwebtool.com/
Date: 10th April 2006