What is PageRank, how does it work, and why is it important?
Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2025 6:22 am
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What is PageRank, how does it work, and why is it important?
Google PageRank (Google PR) may seem like an old concept. Since public scores are no longer visible in search engine toolbars, it's easy to assume that this metric is no longer important for search engine optimization (SEO). However, it still influences your content's rankings behind the scenes, so it's worth familiarizing yourself with.
In this article, we will explain what Google PageRank is, its brief history, and how it works. We will also discuss how it can impact your SEO efforts.
Let's dive right in!
Table of Contents view
What is PageRank?
Google PageRank is a system developed in 1997 by Google netherlands phone number data Larry Page and Sergey Brin. It was designed to evaluate the quality and quantity of links to a web page. Along with other ranking factors, the score determined the positions of pages in search engine rankings.
To illustrate this concept, it’s helpful to think of Google interpreting links as “votes.” In addition to counting them, Google also analyzes the pages that cast each “vote,” rating some as more important than others. As a result of these and other factors, Google calculates a total score known as the content’s PageRank.
The motivation behind the creation of Google PageRank was to improve the overall quality and accuracy of search engines. In the early days of the Internet, search results were often not as relevant to user queries as they are today.
The academic benchmarking system and the process of evaluating scientific papers inspired Sergey Brin and Larry Page to solve this problem. They used these concepts in their research project at Stanford University and applied them to search engines. The idea became the basis of Google and its web Page Rank toolbar, which publicly displayed scores.
Eventually, Google discontinued the Google PageRank toolbar. The single score metric was no longer useful to the public and created confusion about its meaning. It also contributed to the connection between spam and abusive SEO practices, such as buying and selling backlinks.
How does Google calculate Google PageRank?
A site's PageRank calculation is done based on a mathematical formula, which the original Google document defines as follows:
PR (A) = (1-d) + d (PR (T1) / C (T1) +… + PR (Tn) / C (Tn))
In this equation, T1 to Tn are all the pages that link to page A. C represents the number of outgoing links and d is a damping factor, typically set to 0.85.
To simplify this formula, we could say that Google considers the amount of inbound and outbound links and the PageRank of each linking page. The “vote” example above is the best way to illustrate this system.
In essence, the amount of points (also called “link juice”) a web page can pass depends on its total PageRank. Well-maintained inbound and outbound link structures can pass significant link juice, which can increase your website’s position in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Let's say page A has accumulated ten PageRank points. Linking to page B will transfer the maximum amount, which is ten points. However, linking to five other pages (internal or external) will dilute the link juice, so page A will only pass two points to each page.
In some situations, you may prefer not to transfer any PageRank points to a page. For example, a certain link could lead to a paid ad or an unreliable source, which could undermine your authority.
In that case, you can use the rel=”nofollow” tag , which tells Google not to transfer link juice. Note that the “nofollow” link still counts towards your total PageRank calculation, so the number of points you can transfer will remain lower.
Why is Google Page Rank important for SEO?
While the exact search engine ranking algorithm remains unknown, it is safe to assume that PageRank is still influencing SERPs . Backlinks can either strengthen or weaken your source authority, which impacts your PageRank score. Therefore, practices such as link building should become part of your SEO strategy.
Some helpful external link building tips that you can implement to increase your Page Rank include:
Look for quality backlinks. Getting links from an authoritative page can provide a lot of link juice. Consistently publishing quality content and finding guest posting opportunities on other reputable websites can help with this.
Avoid broken links. Broken links waste link juice and lower your Page Rank. Make sure your internal links work and that external sites link properly to your other pages.
Encourage organic link building. Compelling content that resonates with your audience can increase your backlinks naturally. In particular, long-form content, strategic keywords, and other useful SEO practices can help with this.
Be present on social media. Promoting your brand on social media creates opportunities for backlinks and reshares.
Use backlink checker tools. Regular checks of your backlink profile will help you spot warning signs like spam or links from untrustworthy sites, which hurt your domain authority .
Internal links can also increase your PageRank and SEO efforts, so don't neglect linking to your posts, especially your core content. It also gives Google an idea of your website's structure so it can evaluate its relevance, relationships between pages, and ease of use.
What is PageRank, how does it work, and why is it important?
Google PageRank (Google PR) may seem like an old concept. Since public scores are no longer visible in search engine toolbars, it's easy to assume that this metric is no longer important for search engine optimization (SEO). However, it still influences your content's rankings behind the scenes, so it's worth familiarizing yourself with.
In this article, we will explain what Google PageRank is, its brief history, and how it works. We will also discuss how it can impact your SEO efforts.
Let's dive right in!
Table of Contents view
What is PageRank?
Google PageRank is a system developed in 1997 by Google netherlands phone number data Larry Page and Sergey Brin. It was designed to evaluate the quality and quantity of links to a web page. Along with other ranking factors, the score determined the positions of pages in search engine rankings.
To illustrate this concept, it’s helpful to think of Google interpreting links as “votes.” In addition to counting them, Google also analyzes the pages that cast each “vote,” rating some as more important than others. As a result of these and other factors, Google calculates a total score known as the content’s PageRank.
The motivation behind the creation of Google PageRank was to improve the overall quality and accuracy of search engines. In the early days of the Internet, search results were often not as relevant to user queries as they are today.
The academic benchmarking system and the process of evaluating scientific papers inspired Sergey Brin and Larry Page to solve this problem. They used these concepts in their research project at Stanford University and applied them to search engines. The idea became the basis of Google and its web Page Rank toolbar, which publicly displayed scores.
Eventually, Google discontinued the Google PageRank toolbar. The single score metric was no longer useful to the public and created confusion about its meaning. It also contributed to the connection between spam and abusive SEO practices, such as buying and selling backlinks.
How does Google calculate Google PageRank?
A site's PageRank calculation is done based on a mathematical formula, which the original Google document defines as follows:
PR (A) = (1-d) + d (PR (T1) / C (T1) +… + PR (Tn) / C (Tn))
In this equation, T1 to Tn are all the pages that link to page A. C represents the number of outgoing links and d is a damping factor, typically set to 0.85.
To simplify this formula, we could say that Google considers the amount of inbound and outbound links and the PageRank of each linking page. The “vote” example above is the best way to illustrate this system.
In essence, the amount of points (also called “link juice”) a web page can pass depends on its total PageRank. Well-maintained inbound and outbound link structures can pass significant link juice, which can increase your website’s position in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Let's say page A has accumulated ten PageRank points. Linking to page B will transfer the maximum amount, which is ten points. However, linking to five other pages (internal or external) will dilute the link juice, so page A will only pass two points to each page.
In some situations, you may prefer not to transfer any PageRank points to a page. For example, a certain link could lead to a paid ad or an unreliable source, which could undermine your authority.
In that case, you can use the rel=”nofollow” tag , which tells Google not to transfer link juice. Note that the “nofollow” link still counts towards your total PageRank calculation, so the number of points you can transfer will remain lower.
Why is Google Page Rank important for SEO?
While the exact search engine ranking algorithm remains unknown, it is safe to assume that PageRank is still influencing SERPs . Backlinks can either strengthen or weaken your source authority, which impacts your PageRank score. Therefore, practices such as link building should become part of your SEO strategy.
Some helpful external link building tips that you can implement to increase your Page Rank include:
Look for quality backlinks. Getting links from an authoritative page can provide a lot of link juice. Consistently publishing quality content and finding guest posting opportunities on other reputable websites can help with this.
Avoid broken links. Broken links waste link juice and lower your Page Rank. Make sure your internal links work and that external sites link properly to your other pages.
Encourage organic link building. Compelling content that resonates with your audience can increase your backlinks naturally. In particular, long-form content, strategic keywords, and other useful SEO practices can help with this.
Be present on social media. Promoting your brand on social media creates opportunities for backlinks and reshares.
Use backlink checker tools. Regular checks of your backlink profile will help you spot warning signs like spam or links from untrustworthy sites, which hurt your domain authority .
Internal links can also increase your PageRank and SEO efforts, so don't neglect linking to your posts, especially your core content. It also gives Google an idea of your website's structure so it can evaluate its relevance, relationships between pages, and ease of use.