How Google lets itself be manipulated

There is something seriously wrong with Google's approach to page rank. This is especially true when it comes to blogs.

Consider this search phrase: "Blogging Tips."

The number 2 return (just before Blogger Forum) is a site called "Blogging Tips" located on BlogSpot. Take a look at the site before we continue.

Ready? Now, what have you noticed about the site? Right, it is a blog. Now, what else? It has a page rank of 6. Google must really consider this an important site since it is #2 on the search phrase return and the site itself is ranked number 6. Notice anything else?

How about this: THIS BLOG ONLY HAS ONE ENTRY.

And this: THE ONLY ENTRY WAS POSTED IN AUGUST 2003.

Consider further: THE SOLE ENTRY ON THE SITE IS ENTIRELY PLAGERIZED.

So, in summary, you can plagerize someone else's work, post it as a blog, and Google will reward you with a high page rank for having absolutely nothing of any value to anyone. By the way, I pointed this out about six months ago and Google has done nothing. As a matter of fact, the page rank is now higher than my first post about this site.

It really makes me wonder why anyone bothers trying to impress Google. I see way too many cases of really informative and helpful sites not getting the ranking while jokes like Blogging Tips slide by with Google lapping them up. So, all of you folks who agonize over Google rankings just remember this: all the hype about Google's ability to rank sites in an orderly and logical way is just that, hype. It breaks down way, way too often.