How many folks out there regularly check their Google PageRank? PageRank has become something of a status symbol online. As well as a measure of success. If your site even has a PageRank, you have something to be congratulated for, but if the PageRank is 4 or above, that's a real accomplishment. According to Google. (PageRank is awarded as a number from 0-10)

PageRank is a complicated thing. Google uses a specific algorithm to determine the individual PageRank of each Web page, which means your site could have several different PageRanks. My homepage at, Smart Marketing to Women Online, is ranked a 5, and the Testimonials page is also ranked a 5, while the other pages of my site have no Google ranking at all. :-(

As I surf the web to do my researching, I've begun noticing PageRank. I haven't quite figured out the secret of a good pagerank; some sites that seem way out of sync get a 5 or 6, others that are very nicely done get a 2 or a 3. For those who would like to delve into this interesting online scoring system, I recommend a visit to Wayne Hurlbert's "Google PageRank Primer," over at SEO Chat. Wayne gets down to the nitty gritty and explains this trademarked technology in simple enough terms that the newest newbie can understand. Good reading.

Why is Google PageRank important to the goal of marketing to women online? Because, personally, I don't think most people know Dick about building a good website, and that includes some large design firms. A good website embodies certain necessary elements. Without these elements, it will get ignored by men, by women, by Google, and by whatever target market it's aiming to attract. To date, the only other way to determine if a website is working-- beyond Google's PageRank-- has been by checking out the Webby Awards. The Webby Awards are "Presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences." This distinction is "the leading international honor for the worlds best web sites." The awards for Best Web sites of 2003 will be announced April 20th. Stay tuned.

Because building a good website is so important, because the elements needed to construct a good website are fairly universal (we're talking e-commerce or content based, not personal, hobby or just for fun websites), I have a scoring section on my Dickless Marketing site (and in my book) to give folks an easy way to check their own site design and usability. The difference between me and a Google PageRank or a Webby Award is in the purpose of my Dick-e-meter. The focus on my site is to score for "female-friendliness." I look for those important elements that will attract women and build loyalty. Visitors are free to submit their own sites for review, or to suggest a site, but those of us at Smart Marketing to Women Online who review the sites and do the scoring, reserve the right to choose sites that will help our web visitors learn something; be that good or bad.

The Dick-e-meter uses 5 elements in awarding scores. Each site gets an individual score for each element, with an overall score by adding the individual scores togehter. We look for good information design, easy navigation, good use of real estate, adequate and informative company information, and good contact information. These are all vital parts of a site that aims to be "Female-friendly." It's sometimes difficult to understand the scoring elements unless they can be compared to sites that aren't successful at being "female-friendly." Therefore, just to be instructive, we add a review of a "Bad, bad site." This is always a site that clearly isn't "Female-friendly," and we always explain why. The goal is to help them improve and get in front of the women's market--where they will make more sales, no matter what they sell.

Jane isn't into criticizing or making fun of anyone. She wants you to understand her. The best way to do that is to learn what goes on in her mind. Visit the links offered at this blog, and check out the Dick-e-meter. You might learn something that could help you double your online sales volume this year.

Now, what's not to like about that?