Improving PageRank on Tumblr
Pc’s Place wrote a blogpost on the mechanics of PageRank in relation to Tumblr. The blog discusses the procedure for determining a rank, where web searches assign a rank by evenly distributing the initial value to all pages it links to. If the page has a high rank it is placed higher in the list of search results. Although the blog discusses the mechanics behind determining a pagerank, it emphasises the ability of the user to manipulate their website’s pagerank. Tumblr is used to demonstrate the ease with which the user can alter their pagerank by merely participating in discussions and linking to other websites. One of the simplest things to do is conducting a Google search for the most popular Tumblr pages and reblogging images or posts that are found on each page. As a result, the user establishes a link between their page and this popular page. Through this connection if someone was randomly following links in a random walk on the internet their probability of finding the unpopular blog would increase. Similar to the use of hashtags on Twitter, if an individual uses tags on their Tumblr posts it will increase the amount of pages their posts will appear on. The increased amount of pages your posts appear on will increase its pagerank because more pages will point to your page.
As discussed in lecture, although people are unsure of the algorithms that search engines such as Google use, it is largely assumed that PageRank is part of the algorithm. The transparent procedure of PageRank allows users to actively consider search tools when they are making their websites. Thus, blogs that post easy ways to improve the pagerank of blogs on Tumblr give the user more control over the popularity of their blog. For example, Pc’s Place’s recommendation of reblogging popular posts is beneficial to a blogger on Tumblr because the blogs they are getting their images from have tags that have been clicked on many times, thereby pointing high ranking pages to their own blog. This manipulation of PageRank is beneficial to the user because it improves the visibility of their pages and alters the initial score they had which would have paled in comparison to popular blogs.
http://pcsplace.com/blog-tips/how-to-increase-page-rank-with-tumblr/