Google has been releasing short 2-3min video tutorials on some of the most basic of questions related to search and your Web site. We have decided to feature these quick questions and answers to be sure that ALL of your questions are answered!

In today's question, Matt Cutts (head of Google's Webspam team) addresses the reasons why a new website may initially have high page rank, and why said page rank might drop over time.

The question asks:

"When we create a new landing page with quality content, Google ranks that page on the top 30-50 for targeted keywords. Then why does the rank get decreased for the next 2 to 3 weeks? If pages didn't have required quality, then why did it get ranked in the first week? - Sandeep, India"

Cutts explains, the new landing page may initially rank high because Google is figuring out where the content comes from, if it is high quality, and whether this page addresses the needs (or answers the question) of the keywords searched. When new pages rank high for a while, Cutts says this is because "we are taking our best guess and then as more information becomes available, we incorporate that" into how Google ranks your page. Cutts continues, "Eventually, typically, things (page rank) settle down into a steady state. We're typically able to better guess how relevant something is." Different queries bring up different search results. Some queries need stable content, and others need fresh content (read about QDF aka Queries Deserve Freshness here). Watch the video for more information.

Have you noticed this trend with some of your new pages? What did you do to maintain your high rankings?

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