I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Google’s page rank is finally meeting its (long overdue) end.

I don’t know how many pages I’ve visited of late that get decent (or boatloads of) traffic yet have no or very low PRs. In reverse, you’ve got the huge PR website, yet you can easily tell (via add ons, etc.) that no one knows they even exist.

For further proof, head to the Google search itself. Type in anything you want (I typed in “latest news google pr“) then start scanning and researching the leading results. For my particular phrase, front page results reflected posts and web pages posted last month to several years ago. I did check the “pr” and “alexa” for many of them. No surprise to find that front page results included sites without any PR at all – along with some with traffic so minuscule anyone would be shaking their head over “why the front page?” (Maybe our accompanying illustration helps reinforce the head scratching, mind boggling way this is all “determined.”)

It’s fact – while there are popular sites (depending on what you type) like WebMD or Amazon in your search results, you always find within those same front page results websites with no PR and a variety of traffic (low to high).

So I’m going to go further out on that limb to say that I think when it comes to choosing “traffic versus Google PR” that anyone in their right mind would opt for the traffic, right?

Boatloads of traffic!

The Google PR used to be a badge of honor, and many a webmaster or seo expert sweated bullets over this one. Maybe some still do.

However, even the folks at Google cannot or will not tell (or do not know) whether PR really means a hill of beans in the end.

What prompted this post was an inspection this morning of my ezine advertising website.

At one point in its so far 7 year history, it achieved a traffic rank of under 21K and held onto a PR 4 (for this type of niche this was outstanding). Then along came one of those infamous algorithm changes and now… well this morning on my end of the world there is no PR on the site. Zip, zilch, nada.

Now it could be the folks at Google are in some cycle doing updates again. Could be the poor thing just lost out in this latest round of bids for ranking. Be that as it may, thankfully it does sit on the front page for many of the distinct keywords necessary for folks to find it. And that’s what counts.

Google plays with their algorithm so much and so often, you could easily drive yourself insane figuring out your next move. Running around in circles trying to please or appease, you’ll not only get dizzy, but allow much of your competition to race right past you.

What should you be working on? Words. Content. And more importantly, in SEO terms, keyword content. You do have to know the difference between appropriately working those keywords into your content (and which ones are really going to be any use to you in the first place) and cramming them into metas and content like there’s no tomorrow. Do not be short sighted nor mislead by shady tactics.

The time is ripe for the rest of the world to just “do their own thing.” Work your website or blog the way you wish to work it (and start having fun for a change). Go for the gold, go for traffic. Let’s also hope that Google drops this antiquated ranking platform very, very soon.

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This morning sitting in my inbox was a link to a money making program that I just had to post about… Get Paid to Draw.

Now being a stick figure person myself, at first I was thinking, “Well this won’t do me any good!” But, curious, I headed on over to the page to see what it’s all about.

A one-time fee of less than $35 might be your ticket to starting out the New Year pulling in some cash.

o  Submit your images for cash
o  Learn the ins and outs of animation & illustration
o  Sell your drawings online
o  Make money from your digital photos
o  Discover freelance opportunities and much more!

Above, I admitted I’m no artist, but I will tell you the digital photos portion caught my eye!

Here’s just a tiny bit more (an overview really) of what you’ll find by clicking here:

o A Jump Start Setup – they swear requires no experience – to begin a new career working entirely online.

o Step by Step Videos – to help you get started making “thousands on the Internet by drawing pictures.”

o Company Directory Database – where to go to get reviewed by the “best directories in the world.” Also includes submission companies you sign up with for “great free money making opportunities.”

o The Get Paid to Draw eBook – sort of self explanatory.

o Strategies – learn “all the secrets” top artists and designers use to make (what they claim) hundreds of dollars an hour and up.

o Tools and Resources – material to get your make money drawing business up and running apparently.

There’s a ton more, including lots of bonuses.

So if you ever thought of trying to pull in cash online via art, photography, and more, this system might be just what you need!

We often talk about writing for a living online, but here’s an almost no brainer and potentially your newest source of revenue for 2009!

Happy New Year!