Back in 1998, as part of a research project, Google developed the PageRank algorithm. In fact, it became the basis for the most famous search engine. Much time has passed since then, but there are still debates about how Google PageRank works, whether it is still relevant today, and how to check it. In this article, we will consider all these issues.
PageRank Algorithm – What is it in simple words
The oldest and most well-known algorithm, Page special database Rank, is based on the idea that the quality of a website page is determined by how many incoming links point to that page and what quality they are. In essence, these links are considered votes. Pages that receive more quality links are more important and rank higher in search results.
So PageRank is the basis for organizing content on the World Wide Web by relevance and authority. It rewards sites that use natural, high-quality backlinks while preventing them from being artificially manipulated.
Previously, the evaluation results were available in the Google toolbar. The numbers ranged from 0 (PR0) to 10 (PR10). And specialists could find out the PageRank of the website page they were working on promoting.
In 2016, access to this data was blocked. The reason for this decision was that SEO specialists were too fixated on this indicator. But even though the metric is no longer publicly available, it is no less important.
Basic PageRank Formula
Understanding the algorithm formula will help you gain a deeper understanding of Google PageRank. This metric is calculated as follows:
Where:
- PR(A) is the Google PR value for page A that we want to know;
- d — damping factor, usually equal to 0.85. This is a simulator of the fact that a person can accidentally click on a link and go to a page that he does not particularly need;
- N is the total number in the group of pages among which the calculation is carried out;
- T₁, T₂, …, Tₙ are pages that have a link to page A;
- PR(T_i) is the PageRank value for page T_i that has a link to page A;
- C(T_i) — the total number of links placed on page T_i.
This rating worked on a logarithmic scale, which many SEOs believe was base five. This meant that each additional link resulted in a five-fold increase in the importance of the page. So a PR4 page would be considered 25 times more important than a PR2 page, rather than twice as important as a linear scale would suggest.
What is PageRank for?
To understand what PageRank is and what it is for, its main idea will help. The algorithm’s conclusion about which pages are the most useful and ya raba aikace-aikacen ai a cikin filin tallace-tallace irin su relevant is based on the evaluation of links that lead to them from other authoritative sites.
Basically, the algorithm, which later turned into a whole system, was developed to solve the following problems:
- Pages that receive links from trusted, authoritative sources are considered more important and rank higher in search results;
- at the same time, it becomes difficult to artificially increase a site’s rating by means of mass placement of links, including on link farms;
- Pages are categorized hierarchically, which helps other Google algorithms know which ones are the most authoritative on certain topics;
- The speed and accuracy of searches are increased. There are billions of pages on the Internet, and the algorithm helps to quickly identify the most significant and high-quality ones.
So it is not surprising that the PageRank aqb directory indicator of a site quickly became a benchmark for SEO optimization. Knowledge of the principles of this algorithm directed specialists to create high-quality content and attract natural links.
Why is access to the PageRank panel blocked?
Soon after the algorithm was developed, Google gave specialists the opportunity to find out PageRank. The indicator was displayed in the toolbar. Open access to this information caused a wave of manipulations and attempts to artificially increase this indicator. Specialists looked for ways to increase PageRank, which led to a sharp increase in demand for buying links and the emergence of so-called “link farms.” Everyone was trying to get as many links from other sites as possible and did not pay much attention to their rating.
However, this approach is still far from the most effective strategy for SEO. To understand what Google PR is, you need to know that it is not only the number of links or the quality of the source itself that matters. Other factors are also important: how appropriate the links are in the context, how relevant they are, and others.
Then, an active fight against attempts to manipulate Google Page Rank data began. And in 2016, access to the public panel was closed. Now it is impossible to get accurate information about the PageRank value for your own or someone else’s site. But since Google’s algorithm still plays a role in the page ranking process, the creators of many services help determine PageRank based on their own developments. We will tell you how to do this below.
Why do you need the nofollow tag?
Another method to combat manipulation of link placement was the introduction of the nofollow tag. This is how links that were inserted into comments were marked. This attribute was introduced in 2005 as a way to reduce spam. At that time, users abused the fact that they sent comments to various publications in which they placed links to the promoted site.
The “nofollow” tag is a value that can be assigned to the “rel” attribute of the HTML a element (the a tag is used for hyperlinks). It looked like this:
It is used to indicate to search engines that this link should not be associated with your site when calculating link juice.
As Google continued to crack down on low-quality backlinks, the Penguin update was introduced to penalize sites that game the system with spammy link building techniques. The update was first released in 2012, with subsequent iterations refining the criteria for penalties. In 2016, Penguin became part of Google’s core algorithm.
Over time, link building tactics have become more sophisticated. For example, one such method is placing sponsored posts on news sites. This was considered a “natural” mention until 2013, when Google fined flower delivery company Interflora. At that time, it also penalized British newspapers that participated in paid backlinks under a “sponsored content” agreement. This action by Google prompted many online media outlets to include a requirement in their posting guidelines that all external links be tagged with the “nofollow” tag.
