Pagerank changed today!

I had used a SEO firm to try to get my google PR up (it was a 4), and after spending more than $6,000, we were rewarded with a PR0. I have been working hard on fixing the internal link structure over the last few days, and this AM, my PR went back to 4. Not really where I wanted, but it sure beats that PR0. If anyone wants the name of an SEO firm to avoid, please PM me.:-?

There are some serious problems with PR at the moment (and backlinks)... I wouldn't read too much into anything at the moment.

As far as I know, there hasn't been a PR update for nearly a month... there has also been a few cases where people just see PR0, then do something like check their backlinks from the google toolbar, press the back button and their original PR reappears again.

I seriously doubt the effects from your SEO work are reflected in your PR yet - wait another couple of weeks at least.

toasted is right
it can take many months before you actually see any change in PR or traffic. To make matters worse Google hasn't updates their backlinks and PR in the last 2 months (almost) Just wait and be patient. Changing your pages every other day will do more harm than good.

-PK

Penalties are pro-rated - 30 days for first offense, 60 for a second, and 90 days for a third.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune rf33 - may I ask what tactics got you penalized?

Are penalized websites notified? I've never heard of this happening... but if notifications were sent I think that word would spread of penalties being applied... and it would deter at least some additional people from spammy practices. How about posting an evil icon beside their listing in the SERPs and disabling their link? lol

I think that the spammers probably cuss the system when their sites disappear... and that bad feeling transmits around. They would probably wear a different face and walk a different walk if the responsibility for the disappearance of their sites were firmly placed.

Notification would also be good for those who do something wrong without realizing. Notification if for no other reason than this would be a positive thing.

No site owners are not contacted, although some hand holding has happened for some major players - suggesting that they are about to be penalized - but you obviously need "web tender" for this preempted notification.

I look at this from my own site perspective. When I see a rogue robot running through my site to archive my data - I don't notify them to stop - I banned them. So does everyone else (that knows what to look for). Is this any different?