--- title: "SEO Corner: Google PageRank Sculpting For SEO Profit" description: ": by Dante Monteverde : The practice of Google PageRank (PR) Sculpting has been gaining a lot of m..." image: https://www.websitemagazine.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/gradient-regular-logo-mark-Jan-23-2023-12-15-56-3751-AM-Apr-10-2023-01-34-52-9553-PM-Apr-25-2023-03-22-43-0499-AM-May-01-2023-10-19-50-1498-PM.png --- [Log In](https://www.websitemagazine.com/_hcms/mem/login) [Subscribe](https://websitemagazine.tradepub.com/free/w_webk05/prgm.cgi) [![Website Magazine Logo](https://www.websitemagazine.com/hs-fs/hubfs/gradient-regular@3x-1.png?width=586&height=145&name=gradient-regular@3x-1.png "Website Magazine Logo")](http://Website%20Services,%20Inc.) - [About](https://www.websitemagazine.com/about) - [FAQs](https://www.websitemagazine.com/about/faq) - [Advertise](https://www.websitemagazine.com/about/advertise) - [Editorial Staff](https://www.websitemagazine.com/about/editorial-publishing-staff) - [Resources](https://websitemagazine.tradepub.com) - [Newsletter](https://www.websitemagazine.com/newsletter-sign-up) - More - [Contact Us](https://www.websitemagazine.com/contact) [Log In](https://www.websitemagazine.com/_hcms/mem/login) [Subscribe](https://websitemagazine.tradepub.com/free/w_webk05/prgm.cgi) Search - [Latest](https://www.websitemagazine.com) - [Design](https://www.websitemagazine.com/web-design) - [Development](https://www.websitemagazine.com/web-development) - [SEO](https://www.websitemagazine.com/seo) - [Ecommerce](https://www.websitemagazine.com/ecommerce) - [Content](https://www.websitemagazine.com/content) - [Marketing](https://www.websitemagazine.com/marketing) - [Advertising](https://www.websitemagazine.com/advertising) - [Email](https://www.websitemagazine.com/email) - [Infographics](https://www.websitemagazine.com/infographics) - [View All Topics](https://www.websitemagazine.com/channels) # SEO Corner: Google PageRank Sculpting For SEO Profit ![Peter Devereaux](https://www.websitemagazine.com/hubfs/Peter_Devereaux.png) [by Peter Devereaux](https://www.websitemagazine.com/seo/author/peter-devereaux) 01 Aug, 2008 - - - [mailto:?Body=https://www.websitemagazine.com/seo/google-pagerank-sculpting-for-seo-profit](mailto:?Body=https://www.websitemagazine.com/seo/google-pagerank-sculpting-for-seo-profit) - Link Copied! ![SEO Corner: Google PageRank Sculpting For SEO Profit](https://www.websitemagazine.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/gradient-regular-logo-mark-Jan-23-2023-12-15-56-3751-AM-Apr-10-2023-01-34-52-9553-PM-Apr-25-2023-03-22-43-0499-AM-May-01-2023-10-19-50-1498-PM.png) ***: by Dante Monteverde :*** The practice of Google PageRank (PR) Sculpting has been gaining a lot of momentum but remains a highly debated topic. Specifically, will PR Sculpting actually increase the Google PageRank on the pages to which you are trying to pass link value, or link juice? To determine if this technique will increase the likelihood that your Web pages rank highly for your selected keywords and lead to more traffic, let's take a close look at PR Sculpting - the different ways you can implement it, how it can benefit your site, and whether this technique should be included in your overall SEO Strategy. **What is PR Sculpting? Where did it come from, and how do you do it?** PR Sculpting, also referred to as "Siloing," is the practice of attempting to control the flow of PageRank within a website. Google PageRank, originally developed by Google founder Larry Page, is one of the many factors that determine the search engine rankings on Google. A numeric value from 0-10 is assigned for each page on the Internet, indicating the importance of that page in the eyes of Google. The higher the number, the more authoritative the page is considered. Google PR Sculpting is done by adding the rel="nofollow" attribute value to a link tag. This tells the search engine spiders that I am linking to a Web page but I don't want to pass on any link value to that page. However, the NoFollow attribute is not meant to prevent content from being indexed by the search engine spiders. If you want to block the search engines from accessing a specific page altogether, the proper method is still a robot.txt file. But unless you want to knowingly pass on link juice to a linked page, you should always use the rel="nofollow" attribute when linking to an outside domain(s). The concept of the rel="nofollow" tag was originally designed in 2005 by Matt Cutts, head of Google's Webspam Team and Jason Shellen from Blogger.com. The original intention was to cut down on the amount of comment spam that was infiltrating Internet forums and blogs. SEOs discovered that if they commented within these Web channels with keyword-rich text links they were gaining valuable one-way incoming links. Not only was this cluttering the Internet with useless comment spam but it was also affecting the search engine results pages (SERPs.) While the effectiveness of the rel="nofollow" tag to combat comment spam is debatable, it has provided a means for which webmasters could link to another site without passing valuable link juice. The rel="nofollow" attribute is not just applicable to Google. Currently, all three major search engines (Google, Yahoo, and MSN) recognize the NoFollow tag. Ask.com does not at this time. So you should assume that if you use a NoFollow tag the search engines will "Not Follow" your link and not be able to index that webpage. While it is possible for the search engines to index your Web pages from other external domains and pages linking to your website, these domains are out of your control. Therefore, if those links were to be removed, you run the risk of your pages being removed from the search engines' indices. To combat this you should always have both an HTML and XML Sitemap to provide an easy way for the search engines to find your pages. In addition, make sure that you place a NoFollow tag on links pointing to your Sitemap. If you are considering employing the practice of PR sculpting on your website(s), be sure to read Website Magazine's digital edition for detailed guidance on the steps you will need to take, and the implementations of PR sculpting you should avoid. **[Google PageRank Sculpting Part 2](https://www.websitemagazine.com/blog/google-pagerank-sculpting-for-seo-profit-part-2)** --- | ![](https://www.websitemagazine.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/dante-monteverde-Jan-23-2023-12-15-05-1259-AM-1-1-1.gif?width=128&height=110&name=dante-monteverde-Jan-23-2023-12-15-05-1259-AM-1-1-1.gif) | **[SEO Corner](https://www.websitemagazine.com/seo)** About the Author:** **Dante A. Monteverde is a Search Strategist specializing in Search Engine Optimization. He founded [Spider Bait SEO](https://www.spiderbait.com/seo-expert/) in 1996 and has over 10 years of SEO experience.** | | --- | --- | ![Peter Devereaux](https://www.websitemagazine.com/hubfs/Peter_Devereaux.png) [Peter Devereaux](https://www.websitemagazine.com/seo/author/peter-devereaux) As the Editor-in-Chief of Website Magazine and President of Website Services, Peter has established himself as a prominent figure in the digital marketing industry. With a wealth of experience and knowledge, Peter has been a driving force in shaping the landscape of digital marketing. His leadership in creating innovative and targeted marketing campaigns has helped numerous businesses achieve their revenue growth goals. Under his direction, Website Magazine has become a trusted source of information and insights for digital marketers worldwide. As President of Website Services, Peter oversees a team of talented professionals who specialize in SEO/SEM, email marketing, social media, and digital advertising. Through his hands-on approach, he ensures that his team delivers exceptional results to their clients. With a passion for digital marketing, Peter is committed to staying up-to-date with the latest industry trends and technologies, making him a sought-after thought leader in the field. - - - - - [mailto:peter.devereaux@websitemagazine.com](mailto:peter.devereaux@websitemagazine.com) #### Popular Post ### [Core Principles of SEO ![Core Principles of SEO](https://www.websitemagazine.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/seo-map_200x200-Jan-23-2023-12-19-44-5053-AM-1-1-1.gif)](https://www.websitemagazine.com/seo/core-principles-of-seo) ### [Is Microsoft's New Chat GPT Enabled Bing the Google Killer? ![Is Microsoft's New Chat GPT Enabled Bing the Google Killer?](https://www.websitemagazine.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/pexels-photo-8294625-1.jpg)](https://www.websitemagazine.com/seo/is-microsofts-new-chat-gpt-enabled-bing-the-google-killer) ### [SEO vs SEM: Choosing a Sustainable Path to Long Term Success ![SEO vs SEM: Choosing a Sustainable Path to Long Term Success](https://www.websitemagazine.com/hubfs/black-and-white-people-bar-men.jpg)](https://www.websitemagazine.com/seo/seo-vs-sem) #### Subscribe to Our Newsletter! 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All Rights Reserved - [Privacy Policy](https://www.websitemagazine.com/about/privacy) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Peter Devereaux", "url" : "https://www.websitemagazine.com/seo/author/peter-devereaux" }, "dateModified" : "2023-05-01T22:20:47.437Z", "datePublished" : "2008-08-01T05:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "SEO Corner: Google PageRank Sculpting For SEO Profit", "image" : [ "https://www.websitemagazine.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/gradient-regular-logo-mark-Jan-23-2023-12-15-56-3751-AM-Apr-10-2023-01-34-52-9553-PM-Apr-25-2023-03-22-43-0499-AM-May-01-2023-10-19-50-1498-PM.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.websitemagazine.com/seo/google-pagerank-sculpting-for-seo-profit", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.websitemagazine.com/hubfs/gradient-regular@3x-1.png" }, "name" : "Website Services, Inc." } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "NewsArticle", "author" : [ { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Peter Devereaux" } ], "headline" : "SEO Corner: Google PageRank Sculpting For SEO Profit", "publisher" : { "name" : "Website Magazine", "url" : "https://www.websitemagazine.com/" } } ```