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For many years, Google PageRank was a central ranking system that Google used to determine the relevance and quality of websites on the internet.
How Google PageRank works
The Google PageRank algorithm developed by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin is based on an innovative method for evaluating websites based on their linking structure. Although PageRank is no longer publicly visible, it continues to play a role in search engine optimization (SEO) behind the scenes.
- PageRank is based on an algorithm that considers websites as nodes in a network of links. The more high-quality links refer to a page, the higher its PageRank value.
- Not all links are the same, however! A link from a well-known and thematically relevant page, such as a news page, has more weight than a link from an unknown or irrelevant page.
- A page’s PageRank is partially passed on to other pages to which it links. This is often referred to as “link juice” and is an important factor in SEO strategy.
- The algorithm takes into account that users do not click on links forever. About 15% of the time, they jump to a completely new page, which is included in the calculation as a “damping factor”.
- The PageRank is calculated in several passes until stable values are obtained. This ensures that even complex linking structures can be evaluated correctly.
Significance for SEO and current relevance
Although PageRank has disappeared as a publicly visible metric, it is still very important for search engine optimization and web strategies. Many of its principles are still incorporated into Google’s ranking system and indirectly influence the ranking of websites.
- In the early years of Google, PageRank was a key metric for website operators. A high PageRank guaranteed better positions in the search results.
- Google stopped publicly displaying PageRank in 2016. Nevertheless, the concept is still part of the complex algorithm that influences search results.
- High-quality backlinks are still crucial for good SEO today. PageRank indirectly shows how important a clever link strategy is.
- At the time, critics mainly complained that PageRank opened the floodgates to manipulation, for example through the purchase of links. However, Google has since taken numerous measures to put a stop to such practices.
- As a result, PageRank is now only one of over 200 factors that Google uses to evaluate a page. Nevertheless, it forms the basis for many later innovations in the field of search engines.
