PageRank

What is PageRank?

PageRank (PR) is the algorithm developed by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin at Stanford University in 1996. It calculates the importance of web pages based on the number and quality of links pointing to them — treating each link as a "vote" for the linked page. A link from a highly authoritative page passes more PageRank than one from a low-authority page.

How PageRank Works

PageRank is calculated iteratively. In simplified form:

PR(A) = (1-d) + d × (PR(T1)/C(T1) + ... + PR(Tn)/C(Tn))

Where:
- d = damping factor (usually 0.85)
- T1...Tn = pages linking to page A
- C(T) = number of outbound links from page T

Key properties:

• A page's PageRank is divided equally among all its outbound links
• Links from pages with high PageRank pass more authority
• The damping factor (0.85) models the probability a random web surfer continues clicking links

Google's Toolbar PageRank vs Internal PageRank

Google discontinued the public PageRank toolbar score (0–10) in 2016. However, internal PageRank continues to be a core part of Google's ranking system — it's just no longer publicly visible. Third-party metrics like Moz DA and Ahrefs DR attempt to approximate it.

PageRank Distribution (Internal Linking)

You can influence how PageRank flows through your site via internal linking:

• Link from high-authority pages (homepage) to important content pages
• Avoid orphan pages (no internal links pointing to them)
• Fix pages returning 404 errors (broken links waste PageRank)
• Use fewer outbound links on your most important pages