# What is Google PageRank? Understanding Its Impact on SEO

Back in the late ’90s, two Stanford students named Larry Page and Sergey Brin came up with an idea that would change the internet forever. They wanted to rank web pages not just by how many times a keyword appeared, but by how important those pages actually were. The result? Google PageRank—a system so powerful that it became the backbone of Google’s search engine for years.

But here’s the thing: even though Google doesn’t publicly show PageRank scores anymore, its influence still lingers in how websites rank today. If you’ve ever wondered why some sites dominate search results while others get buried on page 10, understanding PageRank is a big piece of the puzzle.

## How PageRank Actually Works (No Math Degree Required)

Imagine the internet as a giant high school popularity contest. If a bunch of well-known, influential people link to your website (like the “cool kids” vouching for you), Google sees your site as more trustworthy. That’s PageRank in its simplest form—a voting system where links act as votes.

But not all votes are equal. A link from *The New York Times* carries way more weight than one from your cousin’s obscure blog. Google’s algorithm assigns a score (originally from 0 to 10) based on:

– **Quantity of links**: More links = more votes.
– **Quality of links**: Links from authoritative sites (like universities or major news outlets) count more.
– **Relevance**: Links from related topics pass stronger “juice.”

Fun fact: The name “PageRank” wasn’t just a clever SEO term—it was named after Larry Page himself.

## Why PageRank Still Matters (Even If Google Hides It)

Google stopped publicly updating PageRank in 2016, leading many to assume it was dead. Spoiler: It’s not. While Google now uses hundreds of ranking factors (like user experience, mobile-friendliness, and content quality), the core idea of PageRank lives on in:

– **Link-building strategies**: SEOs still chase high-quality backlinks because they signal authority.
– **Algorithm updates**: Google’s Penguin update (2012) punished shady link schemes, proving links still matter.
– **Internal linking**: How you link between pages on your own site affects how Google values them.

## How to “Hack” PageRank Logic in 2024

Want to use PageRank’s principles to boost your SEO? Here’s how:

1. **Forget About the Toolbar Score**: The old green PageRank meter is gone. Focus on Domain Authority (DA) or Ahrefs’ Rating (AR) instead.
2. **Prioritize Quality Over Quantity**: One link from *Forbes* beats 1,000 spammy forum links.
3. **Fix Your Broken Links**: Dead links waste “link equity.” Use tools like Screaming Frog to find and redirect them.
4. **Internal Linking Is Free SEO**: Link your new posts to older, high-performing pages to spread ranking power.

## The Bottom Line

PageRank might not be the shiny new toy it once was, but its DNA is baked into every Google algorithm update. Understanding it isn’t just a history lesson—it’s a shortcut to seeing why some sites rank higher than others. And in SEO, that’s half the battle.

*Want to check your site’s modern “PageRank”? Tools like Moz’s Link Explorer or Ahrefs’ Site Explorer give you the closest approximation today.*