PageRank, is like "web popularity". Search engines use PageRank as one of the metrics for determining the overall rank of a site in search results. Without going into the details too much PageRank is like a voting system. Each link to your site helps your PageRank, and each link from your site helps those you link to (this is how link exchanges work).

It is important to note that you never lose PageRank by linking to other sites. Any link that points away from your site is like voting for that site, and your site's PageRank helps determine the "clout" of the vote, it does not reduce your site's PageRank.



Each page on your site has a certain amount of PageRank which is divided by the number of links on that page. So each link receives some of your PageRank. Since internal links (links on your site pointing to other pages on your site) are also included in the equation, having more internal links than external links helps your site's overall PageRank (you're voting for yourself). This can be extended even further by implementing a redirection page for all outbound links. So now, instead of linking directly to an external website, you link to a redirection page on your own website.

PageRank was designed to let web pages vote for each other, in essence giving the power of voting for a website to all of us. I personally think that trying to subvert PageRank is bad netiquette, but I also want to provide code snippets that people find useful.

The script I've written is an easy way to make sure all links are internal. Just place the link_out.asp file in the root directory of your website, and use the simple_link_generator.asp page to make the links.

NOTE: I can't guarantee that this code preserves your PageRank. I say this only because I've read that the PageRank system is getting smarter in detecting these sorts of techniques. I have an MS Access database driven link protector available.