> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.hyperank.ai/blog/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # What Is PageRank? How Google's Link Algorithm Works Today - URL: https://www.hyperank.ai/blog/what-is-pagerank/ - Published: 2026-10-22T07:30:05.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-22T07:30:05.000Z - Description: Discover how page rank influences Google's link algorithm today and learn the key factors that determine website rankings in search results. - Author: Hyperank AI *page rank | Updated October 2026 | 10 min read | hyperank Editorial Team* **PageRank is the link analysis algorithm Google's founders created to rank web pages by the number and quality of links pointing to them, treating each link as a vote that passes on some of the linking page's own importance.** Google still uses it: its ranking systems guide says PageRank "continues to be part of our core ranking systems," though how it works "has evolved a lot" since Google launched. This guide, What Is PageRank? How Google's Link Algorithm Works Today, explains the original algorithm, what Google has said about it since, how it differs from third-party scores like DA and DR, and how links compare with brand mentions in AI answers. We stick to what Google has said publicly and what the original papers describe. Anything beyond that, including exact modern weights, isn't public. > PageRank turned the web's links into a reputation system. Twenty-eight years later, reputation still matters; what's changed is how many places it gets measured. --- ## Direct Answer: What PageRank Is PageRank is an algorithm that assigns each web page a score of importance based on the links it receives. A link from a page that is itself important counts for more than a link from an obscure page, and a page that links out to many sites passes less value through each link. - **Who created it:** Larry Page and Sergey Brin, as Stanford PhD students, described it in their 1998 paper [The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine](http://infolab.stanford.edu/~backrub/google.html?ref=hyperank.ai). - **Where the name comes from:** It's named after Larry Page as well as the web pages it ranks. - **What it measures:** Link-based importance, not relevance to a query. Google always combined it with other signals. - **Whether you can see it:** No longer. Google's public Toolbar PageRank score, shown from 0 to 10, stopped updating in 2013 and was removed in 2016. **Key Takeaway:** PageRank scores pages by the links they earn, weighting each link by the importance of the page it comes from. The idea is simple; the math behind it is where it gets interesting. --- ## How the PageRank Algorithm Works The PageRank algorithm models a "random surfer" who clicks links at random and occasionally jumps to a random page. A page's PageRank is the probability that the surfer is on that page at any moment, so pages that many important pages link to end up with higher scores. ### The original formula The 1998 paper defines PageRank for a page A, linked to by pages T1 to Tn, as: `PR(A) = (1 - d) + d (PR(T1)/C(T1) + ... + PR(Tn)/C(Tn))` - **PR(T):** The PageRank of each page linking to A. - **C(T):** The number of outbound links on that page, so its vote is split between all the pages it links to. - **d:** A damping factor, which the paper says is usually set to 0.85; it represents the chance the surfer keeps clicking rather than jumping elsewhere. ### A simple example | Linking page | Its PageRank (illustrative) | Outbound links | Value passed to page A (before damping) | | ------------ | --------------------------- | -------------- | --------------------------------------- | | Page X | 6 | 3 | 2.0 | | Page Y | 4 | 10 | 0.4 | | Page Z | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | The numbers are illustrative, but the pattern is the point: one link from a strong page with few outbound links (Page X) is worth more than a link from a page that links to everyone (Page Y). Because each page's score depends on others, PageRank is calculated iteratively until the scores settle. **Key Takeaway:** PageRank rewards links from important pages that link out selectively. That was 1998, which raises the obvious question for anyone doing SEO now. --- ## Does Google Still Use PageRank? Yes. Google's [guide to its ranking systems](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ranking-systems-guide?ref=hyperank.ai) describes PageRank as "one of our core ranking systems used when Google first launched" and says that "how PageRank works has evolved a lot since then, and it continues to be part of our core ranking systems." ### What Google has said over time | When | What happened or was said | Source | | ----- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | 1998 | PageRank described in Brin and Page's paper | Stanford InfoLab | | 2013 | Toolbar PageRank last updated publicly | Widely reported by search industry press | | 2016 | Toolbar PageRank removed; Google confirmed it still uses PageRank internally | Search Engine Land reporting | | 2017 | Google's Gary Illyes said Google was "still using PageRank (and 100s of other signals) in ranking" | Public post on X | | Today | Listed as part of Google's core ranking systems, in evolved form | Google Search Central | ### What Google hasn't said - **The modern formula:** Google hasn't published how today's version differs from the 1998 one. - **Its weight:** Google lists PageRank alongside systems such as BERT, RankBrain, freshness and reviews systems, without saying how much each counts. - **Any public score:** There's no official way to see a page's PageRank today. **Key Takeaway:** PageRank is alive inside Google, but it's one system among many, and its current workings aren't public. Since the real score is hidden, the SEO industry built its own stand-ins. --- ## PageRank vs DA, DR and Authority Score Domain Authority (DA), Domain Rating (DR) and Authority Score are third-party metrics that estimate link strength, built by SEO tool companies to fill the gap left when Google stopped showing PageRank. Google doesn't use any of them. | Metric | Made by | Scale | Measures | Used by Google? | | --------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | ---------- | --------------------------------------------------- | -------------------- | | PageRank | Google | Not public | Link-based importance of a page | Yes, in evolved form | | Domain Authority (DA) | [Moz](https://moz.com/?ref=hyperank.ai) | 1-100 | Predicted ranking strength of a domain | No | | Domain Rating (DR) | [Ahrefs](https://ahrefs.com/?ref=hyperank.ai) | 0-100 | Strength of a domain's backlink profile | No | | Authority Score | [Semrush](https://www.semrush.com/?ref=hyperank.ai) | 0-100 | Domain quality from links, traffic and spam signals | No | ### How to use third-party scores - **For comparison, not truth:** They're useful for comparing your site with competitors in the same tool, not as a Google score. - **Domain versus page:** PageRank applies to pages; DA, DR and Authority Score mostly describe whole domains. - **Check yourself:** You can look up a site's DR with hyperank's free [domain rating checker](https://www.hyperank.ai/tools/technical-seo/domain-rating-checker?ref=hyperank.ai). **Key Takeaway:** DA, DR and Authority Score approximate link strength; only Google knows actual PageRank. None of these scores ranks anything by itself, so it helps to see how ranking actually works now. --- ## How Pages Rank in Search Engines Today Today, page ranking in a search engine depends on many systems working together, and links are only one input. Google describes its systems as weighing relevance, quality, usability and context to find the most helpful results for each query. - **Relevance:** Language systems such as BERT, MUM and neural matching work out what a query means and which pages answer it. - **Links:** PageRank and other link analysis systems help Google understand what pages are about and which might be most helpful. - **Quality and reliability:** Systems such as reviews, original content and reliable information systems aim to reward helpful, trustworthy content. - **Freshness:** For time-sensitive searches, newer content can be preferred. - **Spam protection:** Spam detection systems discount manipulative tactics, including link schemes. > A practical reading of Google's guide: links can help a relevant, useful page rank higher, but they can't make an irrelevant or unhelpful page the best answer. **Key Takeaway:** Earn links, but build pages that deserve them first; links amplify quality rather than replace it. Search results are only half the picture in 2026, because AI answers play by slightly different rules. --- ## Links vs Brand Mentions in AI Answers In AI answers, unlinked brand mentions appear to matter more than backlinks. AI engines build answers from text, so how often and how consistently your brand is discussed across the web shapes whether they name you, even when no one links to you. ### What the research shows - **Mentions outperform links:** An [Ahrefs analysis of 75,000 brands](https://ahrefs.com/blog/ai-overview-brand-correlation/?ref=hyperank.ai) found branded web mentions correlated 0.664 with brand visibility in Google's AI Overviews, compared with 0.218 for backlinks. - **Off-site signals lead:** In the same study, the strongest correlations were branded mentions, branded anchor text and branded search volume, all off-site factors. - **Mentions and citations differ:** [Semrush's 2026 AI Visibility Index](https://ai-visibility-index.semrush.com/?ref=hyperank.ai) found that being mentioned and having your own site cited often diverge; on Gemini, the overlap can be as low as 30%. | Signal | Classic Google ranking | AI answers | | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | | Backlinks | Core input through PageRank and link analysis | Weaker correlation with being named | | Brand mentions | Indirect | Strong correlation with being named | | Citations of your pages | Not applicable | Depends on clear, extractable answers on your site | Because mentions matter so much, you need to see where and how AI talks about you. [hyperank](https://hyperank.ai/?ref=hyperank.ai) helps brands see what AI says about them by aggregating daily insights from six major AI engines and capturing the qualitative answers and trends, not just rankings, so you know how your brand stacks up, what needs attention and what AI gets right or wrong. hyperank believes understanding and influencing how AI engines represent your brand is now critical, and it gives brands and agencies transparency and control over that AI-driven reputation. **Key Takeaway:** Links still power Google rankings; mentions increasingly power AI answers. Build both. If you've only ever tracked backlinks, the first look at your brand mentions is usually revealing. --- ## Conclusion PageRank is the link-based algorithm that launched Google, and an evolved version is still one of Google's core ranking systems. What's changed is its context: it now works alongside many other systems, and AI answers lean heavily on brand mentions rather than links alone. - **Definition:** PageRank scores pages by the links they receive, weighted by the linking page's importance. - **Status:** Google says it's still part of its core ranking systems, though its modern form isn't public. - **Proxies:** DA, DR and Authority Score estimate link strength but aren't used by Google. - **AI era:** Brand mentions correlate more strongly with AI Overview visibility than backlinks do. Next step: check your domain's link strength with a DR checker, then see how often AI engines mention your brand for your top category questions. --- ## FAQ ### What is PageRank, and how does Google's link algorithm work today? PageRank is the algorithm Larry Page and Sergey Brin created to rank pages by the number and quality of links pointing to them, with links from important pages counting more. Google says PageRank has evolved a lot since launch and continues to be part of its core ranking systems, working alongside many other systems for relevance, quality, freshness and spam. Google no longer shows a public PageRank score, and it hasn't published the modern formula. ### Does Google still use PageRank? Yes. Google's ranking systems guide says PageRank continues to be part of its core ranking systems, in an evolved form. ### Can I check my PageRank? No. Google removed public Toolbar PageRank in 2016\. Third-party metrics like Ahrefs' Domain Rating or Moz's Domain Authority are rough substitutes. ### What is the PageRank damping factor? It's the probability that the "random surfer" keeps following links. The original paper says it is usually set to 0.85. ### Is Domain Authority the same as PageRank? No. Domain Authority is a Moz metric that predicts ranking strength; Google doesn't use it. ### Do backlinks matter for AI search? They matter less than brand mentions. Ahrefs found branded web mentions correlated far more strongly with AI Overview visibility than backlinks did. --- *Methodology: The algorithm description and formula come from Brin and Page's 1998 Stanford paper. Statements about current use come from Google Search Central's ranking systems guide and public comments by Google staff. AI visibility findings come from Ahrefs' study of 75,000 brands and Semrush's 2026 AI Visibility Index. All checked in October 2026.*