What is the Google page ranking?
How Google's page ranking (PageRank) actually works in simple terms
The core idea of PageRank, Google's page ranking system, 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.
Related Questions
Frequently asked questions
How does PageRank work in simple terms?
PageRank is based on the idea that a page earns authority from the pages that link to it, and the amount it earns is proportional to the authority of those linking pages. A link from a major, well-known homepage such as the BBC passes far more authority than a link from a new blog with no readers. That authority is also divided among all the links on a page, so a page linking to 100 other pages passes less per link than a page with only five links. This is why backlink quality and relevance matter, not just the raw count.
Can you still check your Google page ranking score?
No. Google originally scored PageRank on a public 0-10 scale, but it stopped displaying the score publicly in 2016. The public score was retired partly because people were gaming it and partly because ranking had become far more complex. The underlying concept of link authority still influences how pages are ranked internally, but there is no official number to track. Instead, the focus should be on the quality, relevance and genuine editorial nature of the links pointing to your site, which reflect the same principle PageRank was built on.
Is PageRank still a Google ranking factor?
The concept behind PageRank still matters, but it is now just one of hundreds of signals Google uses. Modern ranking decisions take into account content relevance, E-E-A-T signals, page experience, personalisation, query intent and much more, within a system Google does not fully disclose. In practical terms, earning genuine links from reputable, relevant websites still counts, as does a sensible internal link structure that passes authority between your own pages. Avoiding link schemes is also important, because Google has become progressively better at identifying and devaluing paid or artificially generated links.