High Pagerank links are a type of backlink that can significantly boost a website's authority and ranking in search engine results.
These links are often obtained from reputable sources, such as government websites, educational institutions, and well-established news outlets.
Having a high Pagerank link from a source like the Harvard Business Review can instantly increase your website's credibility.
The quality of the linking website is more important than the number of links you have.
What Is?
PageRank is the original Google Search algorithm, written by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin while at Stanford.
It uses links to evaluate the importance of pages and determine their ordering in search results. This concept is still important and relevant to this day.
The PageRank formula uses a mathematical formula to score the value of a page based on the quality and quantity of the pages linking to it.
A higher PageRank score of a page indicates that it is more authoritative.
PageRank History and Importance
PageRank was developed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1996 at Stanford University as a way to organize searched content. It was initially released as a toolbar to help searchers and SEO specialists measure the quality of sites.
The algorithm's basic principle was that if a page received many relevant, high-quality backlinks, it must be an authority on a particular subject. However, this led to manipulation of rankings by buying and selling links, which Google eventually addressed.
In 2009, Google removed all references to PageRank from its public relations materials, and by 2016, the Google toolbar PageRank was officially removed from browsers.
Page Rank History
Page Rank was developed in 1996 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin at Stanford University as a way to organize searched content.
The basic principle of Page Rank was that if a page received many relevant, high-quality backlinks, it must be an authority on a particular subject.
At first, the Google toolbar was released to show searchers and SEO specialists how to measure the quality of the sites they navigated.
This led to a problem where sites and marketers would try to manipulate the rankings by buying and selling links.
Buying and selling "high PageRank links" became a thing, with links on higher PageRank sites holding more value and being sold for a decent amount of money.
In 2009, Google removed all references to PageRank from its public relations materials.
Google stopped updating the public version of PageRank in 2011, as announced by Matt Cutts, Google's Head Of Spam.
The Google toolbar PageRank was officially removed from browsers in 2016.
The original PageRank patent expired and was not renewed in 2018.
Page Rank Importance Today
PageRank helps determine the position of your website on Google's search results page.
Although you can't publicly view PageRank scores, it's still a valuable part of Google's internal algorithm and arguably the #1 SEO ranking factor.
Google's algorithm has gotten much more complex since PageRank was released, but the formula remains the core factor for ranking websites.
With over 200 Google ranking factors, it's hard to measure the importance of PageRank specifically.
However, we know that backlinks play a huge part in SEO success, so it's safe to assume that PageRank still plays a role in how highly your pages rank.
Building relevant and authoritative backlinks to your website is an effective SEO strategy that will likely improve your PageRank as a result.
Links still matter in Google's algorithm, and understanding PageRank will help you understand how and why links matter.
Google's SEO Starter Guide mentions "link" 80 times and starts with the advice to help Google find your content either with a sitemap or links.
Yes, Google still uses PageRank, even if it's not a metric that website owners have access to.
It's used internally, among many other signals, and is not quite the same as the original paper due to quirks like disavowed links and ignored links.
The Top 8 Factors
Quality Content is the most important SEO factor, and Google wants to show users high-quality, informative, and relevant content.
Backlinks are like votes of confidence, and the more high-quality backlinks you have, the higher your website will rank. Google's algorithm assumes that if many other influential or trustworthy pages link to a specific page, then that linked webpage is probably important.
Technical SEO is crucial, and your website should be technically sound so that search engines can easily index and understand your content. This includes website speed, mobile-friendliness, and crawlability.
Keyword Optimization is essential, and using relevant keywords throughout your website's content helps search engines understand what your website is about. However, having a keyword in your domain name doesn't give you the SEO boost that it used to.
User Experience (UX) is a measure of how easy and enjoyable it is for users to use your website, and Google wants to show users websites that provide a good UX. A site with volatile ownership or several drops may tell Google to "reset" the site's history, negating links pointing to the domain.
Schema Markup can help search engines better understand your content, and it's a type of structured data that you can add to your website. Having a Country Code Top Level Domain (.cn, .pt, .ca) can sometimes help the site rank for that particular country.
Here are the top 8 factors to focus on:
Social Signals, such as likes and shares, can also impact your PageRank, and having a recognizable brand online can help you rank higher.
Linking Strategies
Linking to something is voting for that page in Google's eye. Every time you link to any page, you are signaling to Google that you trust and recommend that page to users.
To build valuable backlinks, focus on creating original content that encourages website owners to share and link to your post. This can be done by creating infographics, webinars, videos, and other creative assets.
Participating in forums and communities related to your niche is also a great way to build backlinks. Be authentic and don't spam groups or communities, as this can harm your reputation.
Here are some effective ways to build backlinks:
- Build relationships with influencers and community members in your niche.
- Create original infographics, webinars, videos, and other creative assets.
- Participate in forums and communities that are related to your niche.
- Share your content on social networks and tag relevant people.
- Create amazing content!
Remember, getting links from directories or pages with a lot of links is not as beneficial for improving PageRank. Every link on a page will dilute the value of your link, so focus on high-quality backlinks from recognized authorities.
Internal Linking
Internal linking is a crucial aspect of SEO that can have a significant impact on your website's rank and traffic.
The PageRank of a page is not solely based on the number of backlinks it receives, but also on the number of internal links pointing to it.
Proper internal linking can distribute the link flow, making it just as important as backlinks.
The more internal links a page receives, the higher its PageRank will be, as it's considered an important page.
You can boost the authority of a page by adding links from it to other pages on your website.
The homepage usually has the highest PageRank due to the number of websites linking to it.
Every link from the homepage to another page will give that page a boost in authority.
Pages with high authority, as identified by an SEO tool, can be used to build links to lower-authority pages when relevant.
Checking Google Analytics can help you identify the pages with the most organic traffic, which are likely to be the highest authority pages on your website.
These high-authority pages can be used to build internal links to less authoritative pages, giving them a quick boost as long as the links are relevant to the content on the page.
The more links you place on a page, the less PageRank value they pass, as the link juice is distributed to each link on the page.
External Linking
External Linking is a crucial aspect of linking strategies. It's a common misconception that linking out from your content can diminish the PageRank of that page. This is not true.
The premise behind PageRank is links, and the number of links on a page might affect the "value" of that link to the page being linked to, but it does not harm your own. If you find a resource that is helpful for your viewers, then you should absolutely add a link to that resource.
A study done by Reboot showed that there was a positive correlation between rankings and the outbound links of a page. This means that having high-quality external links can actually improve your PageRank.
Here are some best practices for external linking:
- Only link to high-quality resources that you trust.
- Link to resources that are relevant to your content and your audience.
- Don't be afraid to link out to other websites - it's a sign of a healthy and informative page.
Remember, the goal of external linking is to provide value to your audience, not to manipulate your PageRank. By following these best practices, you can create a strong linking strategy that benefits both your audience and your website.
Link Quality and Verification
Linking to high pagerank pages is only half the battle - you also need to make sure you're linking to quality pages. Every time you link to a page, you're voting for that page in Google's eye, signaling to Google that you trust and recommend that page to users.
Your votes are divided amongst every page you're linking to, so make sure you're linking to high-quality pages that you trust. Not linking out to external resources on a page looks suspicious and manipulative, and Google doesn't reward or respect that kind of practice.
Be careful who and what you link to - make sure it's a page that you would recommend to users.
Verify Links
Links matter, and understanding how they work is crucial for any SEO strategy. Links are votes, and every time you link to a page, you're signaling to Google that you trust and recommend that page to users.
Verify the quality of links you're creating by checking if you're voting for high-quality pages. Ahrefs' URL Rating metric takes into account the number of links between pages, whether they respect the "nofollow" attribute, and the "damping factor". This metric is calculated differently from PageRank, which is still a part of the Google algorithm.
When linking to external pages, make sure they're trustworthy and high-quality. You can't just vote for anyone; your votes are divided amongst every page you link to. If you're voting for an external page, vote for yourself plenty of times on that same page so you're not passing on all of your votes.
Here's a quick rundown of what to consider when verifying links:
Verify the quality of links by checking if they're from trustworthy sources. Google likely looks at non-hyperlinked brand mentions as a brand signal.
No Follow Tag
The nofollow tag is a crucial tool in maintaining link quality and verification. Introduced by Google in 2005, it stops links from passing along PageRank 'link juice'. This means that followed links may pass link equity or trust signals, whereas nofollow links prevent crawlers from following any links not meant to be considered for passing along PageRank.
The nofollow tag is particularly useful for webmasters who want to avoid harmful SEO spam from a page with open comments. It allows them to control the flow of link juice and prevent malicious links from affecting their website's ranking.
A nofollow link is essentially a vote of "I don't trust this link" or "I don't want to pass any link equity to this page". This is in contrast to a followed link, which is a vote of confidence in the linked page.
In the context of PageRank, the nofollow tag is a way to sculpt the flow of link juice and prevent it from being diluted by too many external links on a page. This is in line with the principle that the more links on a page, the less PageRank value each link will transfer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many backlinks to increase PageRank?
The ideal number of backlinks to increase PageRank varies, but a general guideline is to aim for 40-50 backlinks to the homepage and 0-100 to individual pages, while avoiding both scarcity and excessive links. Find the sweet spot for your niche and competitors to boost your site's relevance.
What is a good PageRank?
A good PageRank is typically 7 or higher, indicating a high-quality and authoritative website. Scores above 7 suggest a strong online presence and credibility.
Is Google still using PageRank?
Yes, Google still uses PageRank as a ranking signal, although it's not publicly accessible. According to Google, PageRank remains an important part of their algorithms.
Sources
- https://google.fandom.com/wiki/PageRank
- https://www.clearscope.io/blog/what-is-pagerank
- https://www.mediavine.com/pagerank-why-links-are-so-important/
- https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/45/the-importance-of-google-pagerank-a-guide-for-small-business-executives.aspx
- https://backlinko.com/google-ranking-factors
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