PageRank.

PageRank is the algorithm developed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin that formed the foundation of Google Search. It assigns a score to each web page based on the number and quality of inbound links — the underlying concept being that a link from one page to another is a vote of confidence, and votes from high-authority pages count more than votes from low-authority ones.

How PageRank Flows

PageRank is distributed through links — both internal and external. A page passes a fraction of its PageRank through each outgoing link (the amount divided by the number of outbound links, minus a damping factor). Pages with many inbound high-authority links accumulate high PageRank, which they then pass to pages they link to. Internal linking structure determines how PageRank is distributed across a site.

Public PageRank vs. Internal PageRank

Google discontinued the public PageRank Toolbar metric in 2016. Domain Authority (Moz), Domain Rating (Ahrefs), and Authority Score (Semrush) are third-party proxies that approximate PageRank using similar link-counting methodology. Google's internal PageRank continues to operate — it is never directly visible externally but is reflected in ranking performance.

PageRank in the Modern Algorithm

PageRank is one signal among hundreds in Google's ranking algorithm. Google's current systems weight PageRank alongside content quality, E-E-A-T, search intent alignment, Core Web Vitals, and many other signals. For competitive, high-authority SERPs, PageRank (as approximated by domain and page authority) remains one of the most influential ranking predictors.