PageRank is the name given to the algorithm developed by Google founders, which allows for ranking or scoring from 1 to 10 to a webpage on the search list according to certain criteria such as relevance, quality and site authoritativeness.

At the time, PageRank algorithm was a turning point in the way of finding information on the internet, and soon helped Google become the most important search engine around the world, beating all competitors in no time.

Besides, Google algorithm did not remain static –it’s been evolving into something increasingly sophisticated over time. Today it is considered one of the most powerful search engines ever developed.

How does Google PageRank work?

Although it would be very complex to explain in detail how this algorithm works, it is enough to understand the generalities. PageRank is based on authoritative criteria by means of quantity and quality of Backlinks. That means that the more and better links a page has on other sites, the higher its rating on PageRank.

However, today there are many other factors that help determine the ranking of a website on the SERP.

What is Linkbuilding and how does it affect PageRank?

Linkbuilding is an organic ranking strategy based on placing as many quality inbound links as possible, drawn from authoritative sites.

Some ways of linkbuilding are:

• Linking internal pages of the same site (e.g. from one blog article to another)
• Linking content on media posts
• Doing Guest blogging
• Appearing on news or interviews of specialized sites
• Participating from forums or commenting news and contents within the niche

It is important that inbound links come from quality authoritative sites, because if a website has many backlinks from pages considered Spam, like a generic database, its scoring on PageRank may drop dramatically.

This article may be helpful: How to boost your business growth through social media in an organic way

How is PageRank related to SEO?

Today Linkbuilding is considered key part of any off page SEO strategy. However, it is just a small part out of the many actions that must be taken to help a webpage get well ranked.

The on page SEO, that is, content quality, Keywords selection and navigability, just to mention a few of its components, also have a decisive role for the search engine, and all these elements play along into an algorithm which gets more sophisticated each day and that only Google experts know to perfection.

Learn more in: What is On-Page SEO?

How can we know the PageRank of a website?

Since the beginning and for many years, PageRank of websites was public. But in 2016, Google decided to remove the possibility to know it, as apparently it enabled sites to resort to “Black Hat” techniques to increase their scoring.

This doesn’t mean that the algorithm is gone –Google still makes use of it as part of the criteria to determine the ranking of search results. Nobody can say exactly what those criteria are like –besides, they are changing and evolving all too frequently. What we all know is the general features of the best SEO practices.

We recommend: What is Keyword Stuffing?

To learn more about PageRank

PageRank is still an important part of SEO strategies, so if you want to learn more about this topic, you can’t miss the list of resources we’ve selected for you.

• Google PageRank, Simplified: A Guide for SEO Beginners – By Search Engine Journal
• Google’s PageRank algorithm, explained – By Search Engine Watch
• Google PageRank: What it is and why it’s still relevant for SEO – By Mangools
• Google PageRank is NOT Dead: Why It Still Matters – By Ahrefs
• Funneling PageRank: the advanced guide to link building – By QuickSprout
• Google PageRank: alternative link analysis algorithms – By Oncrawl

Do you need help with your PageRank?

If you need help optimizing your site PageRank or your SEO strategy in general, at Workana you’ll find hundreds of freelancers expert in digital marketing and web ranking who can help you improve the quality of your site, and get more visibility, authoritativeness and relevance.

What is Workana?

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