Page Rank algorithm is one of the oldest algorithms of Google and was the only main algorithm back in early 2000’s. But these days there are a lot of ranking algorithms in existence. With so many algorithms, the new bloggers or publishers tend to confuse on which algorithm to follow and they end up following all and perform SEO accordingly.
Page Rank algorithm was invented and patented by Google’s founder Larry Page in 1998. However, when exactly this algorithm was applied is unclear. In 2006, according one employee of Google, it was revealed that Google has stopped applying Page Rank algorithm. But even today, many SEO experts and gurus believe that Page Rank algorithm is still being applied which makes it debatable.
So, what exactly is Page Rank algorithm? Well, when Larry Page founded Google in 1998, he thought about what pages should be on top of the search results. He wanted to figure out a way that would decide what pages should be displayed on top of search results or what pages should be ranked higher. So, to consider this ranking factor he created a system which would calculate the authority of particular website. Question was how to calculate the authority or how to decide which website is important and which is not.
So to tackle this, he created a score which is called Page Rank score. The website that is connected to large number of external resources or in other words, the website that has higher number of backlinks would have higher authority. Higher authority means strong website and so it would be given a better rank.
But the drawback of this system was, people started to link spam in huge numbers back in early 2000’s in order to get higher authority and ranking. So to stop this spamming activity and fraud, Google announced that it will stop implementing the page rank algorithm. This was the time when other algorithms were invented such as Panda, Humming Bird, Penguin etc.
Does Page Rank Algorithm Really Exist Today?
The thing we discussed above was in function during late 1990’s to early 2000’s. So the algorithm that existed almost two decades ago does not exist in today’s world for obvious reasons. But it does not mean that page rank algorithm does not exist at all. Google has actually modified the original page rank algorithm so that it will not just focus on number of backlinks or the authority of a website.
Page rank algorithm was originally focused only on authority or backlinks of the websites, but now since Google has a number of different algorithms, the things have definitely changed when it comes to rankings. So if you are a new blogger, just make sure to create unique and fresh content with optimized technical aspects, your website will get ranked sooner or later.
