How Google PageRank Works in 2022

Last Updated: June 10th, 2022
By Adam Bilter

Google PageRank is one of the most misunderstood concepts in SEO. Despite Google removing the public-facing PageRank toolbar score back in 2016, PageRank remains a core component of Google's internal ranking algorithm. Understanding how it works — even in 2022 — is essential for anyone serious about search engine optimization. You can check your page rank here using our free tool to see your current estimated score.

What Is Google PageRank?

PageRank was invented by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were graduate students at Stanford University. The original concept was simple: a webpage is important if other important pages link to it. The "rank" is a mathematical score from 0 to 10 that estimates a page's authority based on the quantity and quality of links pointing to it. The formula treats every link on the internet as a "vote" for the page being linked to. But not all votes are equal — a link from a high-authority website like the New York Times carries far more weight than a link from a new blog with no traffic.

The PageRank Formula Explained

The basic PageRank formula works like this: PR(A) = (1-d) + d * (PR(T1)/C(T1) + ... + PR(Tn)/C(Tn)) Where:

• PR(A) is the PageRank of page A
• d is a damping factor (usually set to 0.85)
• PR(Ti) is the PageRank of pages linking to A
• C(Ti) is the number of outbound links on page Ti

In plain English: your page receives a fraction of the PageRank from every page that links to you, divided by how many other links that page has. A link from a page that links to 100 other sites passes less PageRank than a link from a page that only links to 5 sites.

Does Google Still Use PageRank in 2022?

Absolutely yes. In 2020, Google's Gary Illyes confirmed at a conference that PageRank is still used internally and is one of the most important ranking signals. While Google stopped updating the publicly visible toolbar PageRank in 2016, the internal calculation continues to run constantly as Google crawls and indexes the web. What changed is that Google no longer shares this data publicly. Instead, third-party tools like our PageRank checker estimate your score based on publicly available signals like backlinks, domain authority metrics from Moz and Majestic, and other indicators.

PageRank vs. Domain Authority

Many people confuse Google PageRank with Domain Authority (DA). Here's the key difference:

Google PageRank

• Calculated by Google internally
• Based on the link graph of the entire web
• Applied at the page level (each page has its own PR)
• Not publicly available since 2016

Domain Authority

• Calculated by Moz (a third-party SEO company)
• Scored on a 1-100 scale
• Applied at the domain level
• Publicly available and updated regularly

Both metrics are useful, and our tool provides both when you check your page rank and domain stats.

How to Improve Your PageRank in 2022

Earn High-Quality Backlinks

The single most effective way to improve PageRank is to earn links from authoritative, relevant websites. This means creating content worth linking to — original research, comprehensive guides, data-driven studies, and tools that solve real problems.

Fix Broken Links

Every broken link on your site or pointing to your site wastes PageRank. Use a crawl tool to identify and fix 404 errors. Also reach out to sites linking to your old URLs and ask them to update the link.

Optimize Internal Linking

PageRank flows through your site via internal links. Make sure your most important pages receive links from your highest-traffic pages. A well-structured internal linking architecture can significantly boost the PageRank of key pages.

Avoid PageRank Leakage

Every outbound link you have passes some PageRank to external sites. While this is normal and unavoidable, excessive outbound linking to low-quality sites can drain your PageRank. Use the rel="nofollow" attribute on links to paid placements, user-generated content, and untrusted external sites.

Checking Your PageRank in 2022

Since Google no longer shows PageRank publicly, you need a third-party tool to estimate your score. Our free PageRank checker gives you an estimated PR score, domain authority, citation flow, trust flow, backlink count, referring domains, and more — all in one place. Regular monitoring of these metrics helps you track the impact of your link-building efforts and content strategy over time.