What is the Google page ranking?
How PageRank actually works in simple terms
The core idea of PageRank is that a page earns authority from the pages that link to it, and the authority it earns is proportional to the authority of those linking pages. A link from the BBC's homepage passes far more authority than a link from a new blog with no readers. This authority is also divided among all the links on a page — a page that links to 100 other pages passes less authority per link than a page with only 5 links. This is why the quality and relevance of backlinks matters so much in SEO, not just the raw count.
The difference between PageRank and current rankings
PageRank was just one of hundreds of signals Google uses today. The 0-10 public score was retired in 2016 partly because people were gaming it and partly because ranking had become vastly more complex. Today's ranking decisions incorporate hundreds of factors: content relevance, E-E-A-T signals, page experience, personalisation, query intent, and much more. The underlying concept of link authority still matters significantly, but it operates within a much more sophisticated system that Google doesn't fully disclose.
What this means practically for building a strong site
Even without a public PageRank score to track, the practical implications of the underlying concept are clear: earning genuine links from reputable, relevant websites matters, having a sensible internal link structure that passes authority efficiently between your own pages matters, and avoiding link schemes (paying for or artificially generating links) matters because Google has become progressively better at identifying and devaluing them. The measure to focus on is not a PageRank number but the quality, relevance, and genuine editorial nature of the links pointing to your site.
Key Takeaways
- PageRank measures page authority based on the quality and quantity of incoming links.
- Google stopped displaying the public score in 2016 but the underlying concept still influences rankings.
- Focus on earning genuine, relevant, editorial links — not on manipulating a number.