PageRank
How “strong” is my website in Google’s eyes?
The Google PageRank algorithm, or simply PageRank, refers to a patented method by the search engine operator Google. This algorithm evaluates, weights, and interrelates linked documents, such as those in the World Wide Web, based on their link structure. Each website is assigned a weight, known as the PageRank. Websites with many incoming links have a higher PageRank compared to those with few or no incoming links. The strength of the linking site and the number of external links it shares also affect the impact of the link—fewer parallel external links and stronger linking sites lead to a higher PageRank for the target site.
PageRank is Far from Dead
The PageRank algorithm was developed by Google founders Larry Page (hence the name PageRank, which is unrelated to “page” as in “webpage”) and Sergey Brin at Stanford University, which later filed the patent. It remains a fundamental factor for sorting search results in Google’s search engine. Consequently, improving PageRank is a key aspect of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Manipulative tactics can sometimes create a misleading PageRank value. Since the quality of a website in link building is often judged by its PageRank, relying solely on it is unwise. There is a distinction between the internal PageRank Google uses for its searches and the public PageRank value, which is less precise and updated irregularly without clear timestamps for when data was collected. Despite its limitations, PageRank remains a valuable metric for evaluating websites.
And yes, PageRank still exists. While it is no longer publicly available (the last public PageRank data was released in 2013 and could be accessed via a special toolbar or custom scripts), Google continues to use this metric internally. Most major SEO software providers attempt to develop metrics comparable to PageRank. This helps SEO professionals quickly assess whether a link from a given website has value—or if it is useless or even harmful.
The “Secret” PageRank Formula
The Google PageRank algorithm is complex, and there is no precise “official” explanation of how it works. However, the PageRank is based on a formula known as the “PageRank Formula,” which calculates the likelihood of a random web visitor navigating from one page to another by following links on the page. The original formula, developed by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, is as follows:
PR(A)=(1−d)+d(PR(T1)C(T1)+⋯+PR(Tn)C(Tn))PR(A) = (1-d) + d \left( \frac{PR(T1)}{C(T1)} + \dots + \frac{PR(Tn)}{C(Tn)} \right)
In this equation:
- PR(A) represents the PageRank of page A.
- d is the damping factor (typically set to 0.85).
- PR(Ti) is the PageRank of pages linking to page A (referred to as “backlinks”).
- C(Ti) is the number of outgoing links on page Ti.
The idea behind the formula is that a page achieves a higher PageRank if it receives many high-quality backlinks from other pages. These referring pages themselves must have a high PageRank and relatively few outgoing links.