PageRank: definition and evolution of the Google algorithm
Updated on February 22, 2026
Quick definition
PageRank is the founding algorithm developed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin that assigns each web page an authority score based on the number and quality of hyperlinks pointing to it. PageRank rests on the principle that each backlink is a vote of confidence, whose value itself depends on the authority of the source page.
How it works
PageRank was invented by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in their PhD thesis at Stanford in 1998, before becoming the algorithmic core of Google.
Its mathematical principle: a page receives a PageRank value proportional to the sum of the PageRanks of the pages linking to it, divided by the number of outbound links from each of those pages.
Concretely:
- A link from a high-PageRank page with few outbound links transmits more value
- A link from a low-authority page with hundreds of outbound links transmits little value
- A link from Wikipedia can significantly improve your page's authority
Google published the public PageRank (toolbar from 0 to 10) until 2016, when it was definitively removed. Since then, internal PageRank continues to exist within the algorithm, integrated with hundreds of other signals.
Third-party metrics like Domain Authority (Moz) or Domain Rating (Ahrefs) attempt to approximate this concept.
Why it matters
PageRank remains conceptually fundamental for understanding SEO: backlinks are votes, and the value of a vote depends on the authority of its source.
Understanding PageRank helps to:
- Prioritise link acquisition from authoritative sites in your niche
- Optimise internal linking to distribute authority toward your strategic pages
- Audit your link profile to identify toxic backlinks to disavow
How to improve or use it
- 1Obtain backlinks from authoritative sites in your topic area.
- 2Optimise your internal linking to direct authority toward your strategic pages.
- 3Avoid diluting PageRank by adding too many outbound links from your strongest pages.
- 4Regularly audit your link profile and disavow toxic backlinks.
- 5Create link-worthy content (original studies, tools, comprehensive resources) to naturally attract authoritative backlinks.
With Sublim
Sublim lets you correlate the impact of new link acquisitions with the actual evolution of your organic traffic per page. You concretely validate that your link-building investments generate traffic, without relying solely on theoretical scores — cookieless analytics, hosted in Europe, a GDPR alternative to Google Analytics.
Frequently asked questions
Does Google still publish PageRank?
No. Google officially removed the public PageRank toolbar in 2016. Internal PageRank continues to exist within Google's algorithm but is no longer publicly accessible. Third-party metrics such as Domain Authority (Moz) or Domain Rating (Ahrefs) attempt to approximate this concept without direct access to it.
Can PageRank be improved through internal linking?
Yes, internal linking distributes PageRank across the pages of a single site. By creating internal links from your most authoritative pages (homepage, popular pages) to your strategic pages, you increase the internal PageRank of the latter. This is a powerful SEO technique entirely under the site owner's control.
Do nofollow links transmit PageRank?
Officially no: the rel='nofollow' attribute tells Google not to follow the link to transfer PageRank. However, since 2019, Google has stated that it treats nofollow, sponsored and ugc as 'hints' rather than strict directives. Google may therefore partially take these links into account, but their value remains lower than that of a dofollow link.
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