Google PageRank - what is it?

With the help of the PageRank algorithm, Google weights the indexed websites and thus decides which position the page gets in the search results. PageRank is the heart of the search engine and was the crucial element with which Larry Page (hence the name PageRank) made Google so successful years ago.

Google PageRank: It's all about links

In principle, the Google PageRank is nothing more than a number between 0 and 10. Each website on every domain that Google has indexed is assigned such a value, whereby a 10 represents the absolute top grade and can actually only be achieved theoretically. Of course, the algorithm is constantly being developed, but you should understand the basic principle if you are doing search engine optimization. The PageRank for a page is calculated by considering two main factors:

• the number of websites that link to this page
• the PageRank of the referring pages.

Most important, but not the only SEO criterion

The PageRank is by far the most important single factor that Google uses when calculating the hit list - but it is only one of around 200. Therefore, you should under no circumstances concentrate on incoming and outgoing links when operating a website. The GoogleWatchBlog has created an infographic that shows and explains the 200 factors in ten categories. In general, however, these criteria are particularly relevant for a good PageRank result and thus for a top placement in the results:

• Appropriate headings: Main and subheadings are much more important than just plain text at Google. The title of the page is also important, as it will later be the most striking element in the results.
• The content of the page itself: Of course, the website must also refer to the search query. The more specific the topic of the page, the more precise the search term must be - the user will find exactly the information he is looking for.
• A good introduction: Here too, the content plays a role. If important key terms are mentioned at the beginning, the chance of a top result increases - even with a low PageRank.

As a small tip: Are you interested in which PageRank a page you visit has? If you are surfing with Google Chrome, the "PageRank Display" extension will help you, which shows the PageRank value of the current page in a small symbol in the corner of the window.