When the Idea Grove Web site (and Media Orchard blog) launched in March, we had no Google PageRank. Within a few weeks, we got our first ranking -- PR0. Soon after, we jumped to PR3 for the blog and PR4 for the Idea Grove home page. Then the blog inched up to PR4, and now -- as of this week -- the whole site (except for deeply buried pages) is PR5.

I know, in SEO circles, this is considered something of an accomplishment. Unfortunately, I don't live in SEO circles; I live with my wife, a dog and a cat --and none of them are impressed.

I tried to explain to them that PR10 is the highest, and that PR0 is the lowest, and that being higher means your site is more important -- based on some very scientific stuff that Google does.

My wife smiled politely. Then she checked her Hotmail and noticed that MSN is PR2.

My credibility evaporated.

I eventually found a rather tortured explanation for MSN's current low rank, but by then my wife had left the room and my dog was scratching at the door.

Oh, well ... once again, Web rankings prove as ephemeral as fairy dust.

I'm going to take the dog for a walk now.

Technorati tags: Google, MSN, Marketing, PageRank, SEO