The Google Toolbar
To make it possible to the Net surfer to make a search on the Web even more easily and quickly, but of course also to increase the number of its users, Google developed a small program called Google Toolbar , which adds a toolbar to Internet Explorer. You can type in your keywords directly inside and obtain the results in the navigator as if you had gone on the homepage of Google to make your search.
In addition to a fast access to search, this bar also indicates information on the current page: its PageRank and the related category of the Google Directory.
The PageRank is schematized by a horizontal green bar, more or less wide. By pointing the mouse above, you obtain a number between 0 and 10. This number is only one rough approximation of the actual value of PageRank, which is a number much more precise (either a big integer number, or a number with decimals).
Example of PageRank of 6/10
It is supposed that this scale from 0 to 10 is a logarithmic curve: for example, it is much more difficult to make your PageRank going up from 5 to 6 than from 4 to 5.
Attention to note the two following particular points:
- no green bar appears : PageRank is worth
zero.
Generally this should be a still unknown page for Google, and more precisely a page from a still unknown site. In certain cases, during Google Dance, the Google bar may temporarily display a null PageRank for a page however known. It may also be a page which was banished by Google, for non-observance of its rules. - A bar appears, however the page is unfindable
in Google.
In this case the page may be a new one that Google still doesn't have indexed but whose parent directory is known. Then value indicated by the toolbar may only be an estimate of the page's PageRank (equal in general to 1 point less than the parent directory's PageRank). After the next update the actual (computed) PageRank should be displayed.
Beside the PageRank is displayed a geen icon indicating the category in which the site is listed in the Google Directory. In certain cases some pages may have a category different from the site's one. This directory is a free modified version of the DMOZ directory where Google sorts site according to their PageRank. A clic on the icon makes it possible to go directly in this category and to consult other sites treating of the same subject, classified by PageRank.
A clic on one of the other tools proposed by the Google toolbar gives you one of following information:
- the cache page (last copy of the page indexed by Google)
- the pages similar to the current page (related: command in Google)
- the pages linking to (backward links of) the current URL (link: command in Google)
- the automatic translation of the page
Note: this toolbar can be downloaded on Google.com.
