What is PageRank? Why it matters for SEO

PageRank was once one of the most important algorithms Google used to evaluate and rank web pages on the internet. It is mentioned less publicly today, but that does not mean PageRank has lost its value. In fact, PageRank is still a foundation of how Google judges the authority of websites. It is simply no longer published as widely as before. Let's MONA Media take a closer look at Pwhat PageRank is and why it matters for SEO.

What is Google PageRank?

PageRank is an algorithm developed by Google's two founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. It helps Google judge how important a web page is based on the links that point to it from other sites. Think of each link as a vote of confidence: the more votes a site gets from reputable sites, the more highly Google rates it.

The PR score is the score a page receives based on the number and quality of the links pointing to it. If a page gets many links from sites with a high PageRank, its own PR score rises too, which signals authority and trustworthiness. If the links come from low-authority sites, the score stays low.

PageRank is not the only factor that decides Google rankings, but it is an important part of Google's overall evaluation system. For SEO specialists, the PageRank score works as a measure of whether their link building strategy is paying off. When PageRank rises, it shows that more reputable sites are "voting" for the page, which helps improve its position in search results.

How does the PageRank algorithm work?

PageRank is what Google uses to judge the importance of a web page based on the links pointing to it. The algorithm treats each link as a referral, but not every vote carries the same weight.

The formula for a site's PageRank is as follows.

Where:

• T1,T2,…,TnT1,T2,…,Tn are the pages that link to page A.

• PR(Ti)PR(Ti) is the PageRank score of page TiTi.

• C(Ti)C(Ti) is the number of outbound links from page TiTi.

• dd is the damping factor, usually set to 0.85. It models the chance that a user randomly jumps to another page instead of only following links.

A note on how PageRank is distributed:

PageRank is really a probability distribution. It shows the likelihood that a user who randomly clicks through a chain of links ends up on a given page. For that reason, PageRank scores are divided among all pages on the web as percentages, and the total PageRank of all pages always equals 1.

Here is an illustration:

• Page B's PageRank is calculated as Page A's PageRank multiplied by the damping factor d = 0.85. This is the effect of the damping factor, which represents the probability that a user keeps clicking links instead of stopping at random.
• If Page B links to Page C, then Page C receives 85% of Page B's PageRank value, which is about 72.25% of Page A's original PageRank value.
• If a page has no links pointing to it at all, its starting PageRank is not 0 but 0.15, the default value created by the damping factor.

Why does PageRank matter?

PageRank plays a very important role for a website. SEO specialists should keep a few points in mind:

• PageRank helps users and search engines judge a website's authority based on links from other sites. However, PageRank is just Google's way of measuring a site's influence. Other search engines have their own criteria.
• PageRank plays an important part in determining a website's authority and trustworthiness. A high PageRank shows that the website is high quality and highly trusted. It reflects not only the strength of the external link but also how well internal links distribute PageRank among the pages of one website.
• PageRank is only one of many factors that affect a website's position in Google's search results. It does not decide a page's position alone. It works together with other criteria such as content, user experience, page load speed and many other factors. SEO website.

Key factors that affect PageRank

Site PageRank is an algorithm that measures how authoritative a website is. Google no longer publishes it, but it still influences search rankings today. These are the factors that affect the score:

Anchor Text

Anchor text is a piece of text containing a link that takes the user to another web page when clicked. Anchor text matters for PageRank because it helps Google understand the content and topic of the linked page.

Key points about anchor text in site PageRank:

• Match the keyword: Anchor text should contain the target keyword of the linked page, or at least be related to it. This helps Google understand how pages relate to each other and adds authority to the linked page.
• Vary it: Anchor text should be varied so Google does not treat it as spam or ranking manipulation. If you use the same anchor text for many links, Google may discount those links or penalize your site.
• Keep it natural: Anchor text should read naturally and fit the context of the article. Avoid anchor text that is too short, too long, too generic, too specific or meaningless. 

Likelihood that a link is clicked

Not all links on a page carry the same value in Google's eyes. How likely a user is to click a link also affects how PageRank is distributed.

Google described this principle in a patent called Reasonable Surfer, which holds that users do not click every link at random. They lean toward links they find relevant, prominent and trustworthy. Position, size, color, display style and anchor text all affect that likelihood.

So when calculating PageRank, Google assigns different weights to different links:

• Links with a high click likelihood get a higher weight and pass more PageRank to the page they link to.
• Links that are unlikely to be clicked (such as those in the footer or unrelated to the content) get a low weight and pass on less PageRank.

Internal links

Internal links are links within the same website that help users and Google navigate to other pages on the site. Internal links matter for PageRank because they distribute PageRank to other pages on the site and add authority to the important ones. Internal links also improve the site's structure, content and user experience. 

Key points about internal links in PageRank:

• Quantity and quality: The more quality internal links point to a page, the more valuable and widely read it appears. Still, avoid using too many internal links, which can dilute PageRank or confuse users.
• Number of outlinks: Outlinks are the links that leave a page. The number of outlinks affects how PageRank is passed on to other pages. A page with too many outlinks has its PageRank spread thin and passes little to each linked page. A page with few outlinks keeps more PageRank and passes more to the pages it links to.
• Anchor text: Anchor text affects how Google understands the content and topic of the linked page. Anchor text should contain the target keyword or something related to it, and be written naturally.

NoFollow links

Nofollow links are links with the attribute rel=“nofollow”, which tells search engines to ignore the link and not pass PageRank to the linked site. Nofollow links are used to prevent ranking manipulation through buying and selling links, placing links in unrelated comments or forums, or using paid or advertising links.

Nofollow links affect PageRank in these ways:

• They reduce the PageRank of the linking site: When a site has many outbound nofollow links, it loses part of its PageRank, because it does not share PageRank with the linked sites. This can lower its authority and rankings.
• They do not increase the PageRank of the linked site: When a site is linked with a nofollow link, it does not receive PageRank from the linking site. This can limit its authority and rankings if it has no other dofollow links.
• They do not affect how likely the link is to be clicked: Users can still click nofollow links if they are written in an appealing way and fit the context. Nofollow links can still bring traffic and leads to the linked site if they offer value to users.

Why did Google publicly remove PageRank?

Google officially removed the public PageRank score from its toolbar in 2016, after years of not updating it for the public. The main reasons Google publicly removed site PageRank are:

• Google wanted to stop practices black hat SEOsuch as buying links, link spam or link manipulation to raise PageRank quickly. These practices lower the quality of search results and the user experience.
• Google wanted to encourage webmasters to focus on creating quality content and giving value to users, instead of caring only about the PageRank number. PageRank is just one of many factors in Google's ranking algorithm and does not fully reflect the strength of a website.
• Google wanted to keep its ranking algorithm confidential, and not expose PageRank values to competitors or SEO tools website. 

That does not mean Google dropped PageRank entirely, though. Google still uses PageRank in its ranking algorithm. It just keeps it on the server side and no longer shows it to users.

Why does link spam happen?

Link spam violates Google's guidelines on link quality. It means creating links that are unnatural, have no value or have nothing to do with the content of the site. The aim is to manipulate the site's ranking in search results, or to profit from paid or advertising links.

Some causes of link spam:

• The webmaster's computer is infected with a virus, so malicious code gets inserted into the website's source and it sends spam email.
• Email, FTP or hosting account details are leaked and hacker stolen, then used to send spam email.
• The webmaster sends too many emails on their own (over 300 emails per hour) or uses software that creates links automatically.
• The webmaster uses bad SEO techniques, such as buying and selling links, placing links in unrelated comments or forums, or using PBN systems, 301 sites, news-site text links, gov text links and so on.

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Nofollow overview

Nofollow is an attribute HTML used to mark links that the webmaster does not want to share PageRank with, or does not trust or endorse. When you add the nofollow attribute to a link, you tell search engines to ignore that link when indexing or ranking the site.

Nofollow was introduced in 2005 by Google, Yahoo and Microsoft to fight link spam such as buying and selling links, placing links in unrelated comments or forums, or using software that creates links automatically. These practices lower the quality of search results and the user experience.

PageRank Sculpting 

PageRank sculpting is an SEO technique webmasters use to control how much PageRank passes from one page to others through links. The aim is to optimize the strength of a site's link profile by boosting valuable links and cutting back unnecessary or unrelated ones.

One common way to do PageRank sculpting is to add the attribute rel="nofollow" to outbound or internal links the webmaster does not want to pass PageRank through.

However, PageRank sculpting has its limits:

• Google can detect the use of PageRank sculpting and treat it as ranking manipulation. Penalties may follow, such as reduced PageRank value or removal of the site from the index.
• Google can change its ranking algorithm and weaken the effect of PageRank sculpting. For example, in 2009 Google announced that nofollow no longer saves PageRank and only redistributes it to other links.
• Google may not update PageRank values often, so PageRank sculpting may not pay off right away. PageRank is also just one of many factors in Google's ranking algorithm and does not fully reflect a website's strength.

So if you use PageRank sculpting, weigh its benefits and risks carefully, and do not overuse it or depend on it too much.

Is there a metric that can replace PageRank?

Some alternatives to PageRank:

• URL Rating (UR): This metric is developed by Ahrefs for users to track and improve their website SEO. UR is also based on the number and quality of incoming and outgoing links, but it also takes the site's internal links into account. 
• HITS: This algorithm was developed by Jon Kleinberg to rank web pages based on the concepts of authority and hub. HITS uses an iterative process to calculate authority and hub values for each page.
• SALSA: This algorithm was developed by Lempel and Moran to improve on HITS. SALSA fixes some of HITS' weaknesses, such as being skewed by natural or unnatural links, and not telling different link types apart. SALSA uses a transition matrix to calculate authority and hub values for each page.
• OPIC: This algorithm was developed by Abiteboul and Preda to calculate PageRank values for new pages. OPIC uses a concept called cash, a virtual amount assigned to each page. Whenever page A links to page B, part of A's cash moves to B. A page's PageRank value is determined by the cash it currently holds.

There are also other metrics used to judge how important a site is, such as Domain Authority (DA), Trust Flow (TF), Citation Flow and more. Keep in mind that no metric can fully replace PageRank, because they are all estimates based on different algorithms and data. 

How is URL Rating different from PageRank?

URL Rating (UR) and PageRank (PR) are two different metrics used to judge the strength of a site's link profile. Both are based on the number and quality of incoming and outgoing links.

PageRank is the metric Google developed and uses to rank pages in search results, but Google does not publish PageRank values to the public. URL Rating is the metric developed by Ahrefs for users to track and improve their website SEO.

PageRank only counts "dofollow" links, meaning links with the attribute rel="dofollow" or with no rel attribute. URL Rating also counts only "dofollow" links, but it also takes the site's internal links into account.

PageRank can also be affected by the damping factor, the probability that a user will stop clicking links on a site. The damping factor is usually set at 0.85, which means there is a 85% chance that a user keeps clicking links on the site. URL Rating has no damping factor. It depends only on the number and quality of links.

What is the damping factor?

The damping factor in SEO is an important factor for judging the probability that users keep clicking links on your site and stay longer. It affects how PageRank is calculated, and PageRank is one of the factors that decide a site's rankings on Google.

The damping factor is usually set between 0 and 1, and should be adjusted to fit SEO strategy your site. If the damping factor is too high, you are assuming users click many links on your site, and PageRank will depend heavily on the number and quality of links coming into the site.

If the damping factor is too low, you are assuming users click few or no links on your site, and PageRank will depend heavily on the number and quality of links going out from the site. So you need to find a balance between the damping factor and other SEO factors to get keywords to the top of your website.

How important is PageRank in SEO?

PageRank plays a very important role in SEO because it helps Google judge a site's authority and importance based on the number and quality of the links pointing to it. When your PageRank is high, your site is more likely to appear high in search results, which makes it easier for potential customers to find you.

To reach a high PageRank, build a quality website with SEO-standard content useful content, and optimize your SEO with keywords, meta tags and a sensible page structure. You should also prepare an effective link building strategy to build your site's credibility.

Some effective link building strategies for a higher Google PageRank:

• List your website in popular, valuable directories. Avoid link sites that offer little or no value for your link.
• Have your website reviewed and rated by another popular, authoritative site. Unpaid reviews are best because they are not influenced by cash incentives and they give value to customers.
• Research other active businesses' websites and encourage them to link to yours. Partnerships are the most effective approach to linking, and they also benefit both businesses.
• Publish articles on popular websites with links back to your site.

How do you increase PageRank?

To increase PageRank, focus on building quality links to your website and on optimizing the internal and external links on your site. Here are some effective ways to improve PageRank:

• Get more backlinks from domain .edu and .gov sites, because they have high authority and pass a lot of "link juice" to your website.
• Keep your dofollow backlink ratio at around 40%, which is considered a safe level. Higher than that may look like buying backlinks.
• Add more internal links to share PageRank with secondary pages. You can use tools such as Screaming Frog to check the internal links on your website.
• Remove broken links from your pages, because they lower your site's value and waste "link juice". You can use tools such as Google Search Console, or Broken Link Checker to find and fix broken links on your website.
• Update your blog regularly with quality content, because it attracts more readers and a better chance of being shared and linked to. You can use tools such as BuzzSumo, Google Trends to find hot, engaging topics for your blog.
• Never spam links, because it damages your site's credibility and quality and can get you penalized by Google. Avoid practices such as comment spam, link exchanges, link farms, link wheels, link networks, hidden links, paid links, cloaking and doorway pages.

While building your website, you can create countless backlinks from your own satellite sites. It is an effective SEO technique that many SEOers use. Still, keep the number of links you create reasonable and don't overdo it, because Google will notice, and you risk a penalty.

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Does PageRank affect SERP rankings?

PageRank does affect search engine rankings, but it is not the only factor. Search engines use many other algorithms to judge a site's content, structure, speed, security and user-friendliness.

So a website with a high PageRank will not necessarily appear in the top position in search results, since other factors matter too. In short, PageRank has a considerable effect on how a site ranks in search engines, but whether a keyword reaches the top also depends on many other factors.

How to check a competitor's PageRank

To quickly check a competitor's PageRank, you can use these tools for checking Google PageRank from A to Z:

• SEOquake: A browser plug-in that lets you see the SEO metrics of any website, including PageRank, MozRank, Alexa Rank, number of backlinks, traffic and more.
• MozBar: Lets you see Moz's SEO metrics, including Domain Authority (DA), Page Authority (PA), Spam Score, number of backlinks and more.
• Similarweb: A browser extension that lets you see traffic, sources, keywords, competitors and more for any website.
• Rank Checker: A free online tool that lets you check where your website or a competitor's ranks on Google for a keyword or phrase. Enter the page URL and the keyword or phrase into Rank Checker, choose the region you want to check (worldwide or Vietnam, google.com), then click submit.

SEO is more than writing articles. You also need to read the metrics and analyze user behavior. Watch the video to see how Huy tracks results.

PageRank FAQ

How are PageRank and SEO related?

PageRank and SEO influence each other. A site with a high PageRank is more likely to appear higher in search results and attract more visitors. In turn, a site with good SEO earns more quality links, which raises its PageRank.

What is Google PageRank?

By now you should have a clear idea of what PageRank is and why it matters for SEO. We hope this explanation of PageRank helps those of you working in SEO apply it effectively to your own websites.