PageRank is an algorithm developed by Google to evaluate the importance and authority of web pages on the World Wide Web. This rating has an impact on the placement of the page in the search results. The name PageRank goes back to one of the Google founders, Larry Page.
The PageRank algorithm takes into account the number and quality of links pointing to a web page. The more high-quality links pointing to a page, the higher the PageRank as a rule. In addition, other factors also flow into the calculation of the PageRank, such as the time users spend on the page, its bounce rate or the content of a page.
How the PageRank algorithm works
The PageRank algorithm is based on the assumption that websites that are linked to by many other high-quality pages are themselves more important and relevant. The quality and number of incoming links (so-called backlinks) play a major role here. At the same time, the PageRank of the linking websites also has an influence on the PageRank of the linked page: the higher the PageRank of the linkers, the higher their influence on the PageRank of the linked page.
The algorithm uses a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 is the lowest and 10 is the highest. This scale is logarithmic, which means that it is considerably more difficult to get from a PageRank 5 to a PageRank 6, for example, than from a PageRank 1 to a PageRank 2.
Importance of PageRank today
PageRank is one of over 200 ranking factors that go into Google's search algorithm. In the early days of Google, PageRank was a decisive factor for the results in the search results. Today, however, its importance has diminished as Google has incorporated other factors into its algorithm to further optimize the user experience. These include, for example, keywords in the content, relevant meta tags and the user-friendliness of the website.
Nevertheless, PageRank remains an important aspect in search engine optimization (SEO). A good rating can lead to a website appearing further up in the search results, which in turn leads to more traffic and higher visibility. Website owners should therefore always work towards building high-quality backlinks and optimizing their website to achieve a good PageRank.
