PageRank
PageRank is the algorithm developed by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin in the late 1990s to measure the importance of web pages based on the links pointing to them. It was the breakthrough that made Google’s results better than other search engines of the time, and a version of it is still part of Google’s ranking systems today.
How PageRank works
The basic idea is simple: a link from one page to another is a vote. Pages that receive many votes are important, and votes from important pages count for more than votes from unimportant pages. Each page divides its PageRank among the links it contains, passing a share to each linked page.
The original model imagined a “random surfer” clicking links at random. The probability of the surfer landing on a page is its PageRank. Pages with many high-quality incoming links are reached more often.
Does PageRank still matter?
Yes, though not in its original form. Google has confirmed that PageRank, updated and refined many times, is still one of many signals it uses. What has changed:
- Public PageRank scores are gone. Google removed the visible PageRank toolbar score in 2016.
- Relevance and context matter more. Links from relevant pages, placed within content, carry more weight.
- Spam links are discounted. Google’s systems ignore many manipulative links rather than counting them.
- Many other signals now matter, from content quality to user experience (Google Ranking Factors).
PageRank and backlinks
External Backlinks bring PageRank into your site. The more authoritative and relevant the linking pages, the more value flows to you. This is why links from respected sites in your field are so valuable, and why link quality matters more than quantity.
PageRank and internal linking
PageRank also flows between pages on your own site through Internal Linking. This has practical consequences:
- Your homepage usually receives the most external links, so pages linked from it receive strong internal value.
- Important pages buried deep in the site receive less value.
- Orphan pages receive none.
- Linking from strong pages, such as popular articles that attract backlinks, to commercial pages helps those pages rank.
Thinking about how value flows through your site is one of the most useful ways to plan Site Architecture.
PageRank sculpting
In the past, some SEOs tried to control PageRank flow by adding nofollow to certain internal links. Google changed how nofollow works so this no longer conserves value; the share assigned to nofollowed links simply disappears. Today, the better approach is to link thoughtfully and avoid unnecessary links rather than nofollowing them (Nofollow, Sponsored and UGC Links).
PageRank vs domain authority
Third-party metrics such as Domain Authority and Domain Rating are attempts to estimate something similar to PageRank at the domain level. They are useful approximations but are not Google’s actual calculations.
Key takeaway
Links still pass value, and both external and internal links shape how that value is distributed. Earn relevant backlinks, then use internal links to pass that strength to the pages that matter most for your business. The related idea of Link Equity describes this flow in everyday SEO language.
Key Takeaways
- PageRank measures importance through links and is still part of Google’s systems.
- Links from important, relevant pages pass more value.
- Internal links distribute PageRank around your site.
- Nofollowing internal links does not conserve value.
- Earn strong links, then route value to priority pages.
Related Terms
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