What Is PageRank? Google's Original Link Algorithm

PageRank is the original algorithm Google uses to determine the value of a web page based on the links pointing to it. The core idea: a link to your page is a vote, and a vote from an important page carries more weight than one from an unknown. This principle laid the foundation for the search engine as we know it. In this article you will learn what PageRank is, where it came from and why links still matter today.

What exactly is PageRank?

PageRank starts from a simple but powerful idea: the web is a network of links, and links say something about importance. If many pages link to a particular page, that page is probably valuable. And if those referring pages are important themselves, their vote counts for even more.

Think of it as recommendations. A single recommendation from a respected expert weighs more than ten from random strangers. PageRank turns that into a calculation: every page gets a score based on both the quantity and the quality of its incoming links.

That is still the heart of how backlinks work and why link building remains a pillar of SEO.

Where does PageRank come from?

PageRank was devised by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were working on a new search engine at Stanford University. In 1998 they published their well-known paper “The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine” and laid the groundwork for Google, according to Wikipedia.

The name is a play on words: it refers both to ranking web pages and to Larry Page’s surname. Where competitors such as AltaVista mainly looked at the content of a page back then, PageRank added the link structure of the entire web. That made search results dramatically more relevant and helps explain why Google conquered the market so quickly.

Why can’t you see PageRank anymore?

For years, the Google Toolbar displayed a visible PageRank score from 0 to 10 for every page. SEOs became obsessed with it and even traded links based on that number. Google updated the visible score for the last time in 2013 and removed it for good in 2016.

Important: only the visible score disappeared. PageRank as a concept lives on inside Google’s algorithm, which has become far more sophisticated and far broader in the meantime. There is no public number left for you to check, and that is a good thing: it stops people from chasing a figure instead of real value. The domain authority from a third-party tool is something else entirely, by the way: it is an estimate, not actual PageRank.

How does Google determine the value of a link?

PageRank does not look at the number of links alone, but at who links and how. The original calculation also includes a damping factor: value passed through a link dilutes as it travels through more steps across the web. In practice that means: the closer you are to strong, relevant sources, the more importance you inherit.

What Google itself steers on when assessing links is set out in the official documentation on link best practices from Google Search Central. The common thread: links should be editorial, not bought or forced. This table sums up what separates a strong link from a weak one in practice.

What does PageRank mean for your SEO today?

The exact number is gone, but the lesson is not. Links remain one of the strongest signals for Google. The principles PageRank introduced still apply:

• Quality over quantity. A few links from relevant, trustworthy sites carry more weight than dozens of weak ones.
• Relevance counts. A link from your own field is worth more than a random one.
• Internal links distribute value. Within your own site too, you pass importance to your key pages through internal links.

That is how you build authority the way Google has valued since the very beginning. If you want the broader context, read our explanation of what SEO is and how links fit into a well-considered SEO strategy.

A concrete B2B example

Say you are a B2B software company and you publish thorough research on a problem in your sector. A trade magazine and two respected experts link to it in their own articles. That is a handful of links, but exactly the kind PageRank has always weighted most heavily: relevant, editorial and authoritative.

Compare that with a competitor who buys a hundred links through a cheap package. On paper that competitor has more links, but they are weak votes from sites without authority or a thematic connection. In practice we see that the first approach not only performs better, but also brings in real, qualified visitors. That handful of strong mentions brings decision-makers in, the hundred weak links bring noise.

Common mistakes with links

• Chasing numbers. Many companies measure their link profile in volume rather than quality. One link from a leading source does more than fifty from link lists.
• Buying links. Paid links intended to pass value go against Google’s guidelines and deliver more risk than results in the long run.
• Chasing a number that no longer exists. The visible PageRank score is gone. Anyone still asking for it or looking for tools to measure it is optimising for something that does not exist.
• Forgetting internal links. The structure of your own site distributes importance too. Important pages that are never linked internally leave value on the table.

Honestly: what you should steer on

We would rather say it up front. Do not chase links for the sake of links, and certainly not a number that no longer exists. In B2B, with a limited audience and a long sales cycle, you do not need hundreds of links. You need a handful of strong, relevant mentions and content that is worth linking to.

Measuring for the sake of measuring is a waste. Steer on leads, conversions and revenue, not on a score that does not even exist anymore. That is how a strong, lead-focused SEO approach delivered more than chasing metrics ever did.

Want to build real authority?

We help you earn a few strong, relevant links and create content that is worth linking to, aimed at leads rather than a vanity number. We are a small team that moves fast and tells you honestly what pays off and what does not.

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Frequently asked questions about PageRank

Does PageRank still exist? The concept does, the visible number does not. Google removed the public PageRank score from the Toolbar for good in 2016, but the underlying principle (links as votes) remains part of the algorithm.

Who invented PageRank? Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the founders of Google, during their research at Stanford University. They published the basis for it in 1998.

Where does the name PageRank come from? From both the ranking of web pages and the surname of co-founder Larry Page. So it is a deliberate play on words.

How do I check my PageRank? You cannot anymore, there is no public number. External metrics such as domain authority are estimates from other companies, not actual PageRank. Focus on the quality of your backlinks rather than on a score.