PageRank

Treat PageRank as link value flowing through the web and your own site. Links from important pages pass more value. A page linked from nowhere has none.

You cannot see a Google PageRank score. You can see effects: which pages earn links, which pages you link to from navigation, and which are orphaned.

• A few good backlinks can lift a small site more than many weak ones.
• Your internal links decide where earned value ends up: pricing, features, docs or a post no one needs.
• Orphan pages, like /guides/new-feature with zero links, will not rank, even if the content is strong.

There is no live Google checker. Use signals you do have to infer where link value sits and how it flows.

1. 1

   List pages with backlinks

   Export referring pages to your site from a reputable link index. Note which URLs get the strongest links, for example /blog/compare-x-vs-y.

2. 2

   Map internal links

   Crawl your site. Count links in header, footer and body to key targets like /pricing and /guides/getting-started. Check for orphan pages.

3. 3

   Check click paths

   In product analytics, see which navigation links users click. The 2010 ‘reasonable surfer’ idea weights links by likelihood of click, so placement matters.

4. 4

   Compare rankings

   Pages that rank broadly tend to sit on stronger link value. If /features/automation ranks on many queries, it likely receives and passes more value.

A practical reading, as of 2026: links from important pages count more, a page linked from nowhere has none, and internal linking distributes what a site has.

• Route value to money pages: add clear body links from strong posts to /pricing and /features.
• Tighten navigation: ensure your top categories and best guides are one click from the homepage.
• Fix orphan pages: link each new page from at least one indexed page, for example add it to /guides and a related post.
• Consolidate duplicates: if /blog/guide and /guides/guide target the same query, 301 one to the better page and update internal links.
• Earn a few right links: publish one guide worth citing, for example “/guides/how-we-compare-to-X”, and pitch it to three relevant sites.

A fixed page looks like this: /blog/state-of-industry links in the intro to /pricing with a descriptive anchor, for example “pricing for teams”.

Internal links divide and direct what you have already earned. Sitewide links pass value too, but body links in context likely matter more to users.

• Use descriptive anchors, for example “compare plans” not “click here”.
• Link up the hierarchy: posts link to categories, categories link to core pages.
• Avoid long link lists: dozens of low value links from the footer dilute focus.
• Update old winners: add a fresh link from /blog/2022-winner to your 2026 target page.

• Buying bulk links risks penalties and rarely sends real value.
• Nofollow links do not pass PageRank. They can still send users and awareness.
• JavaScript-only links may be missed if not rendered or crawlable. Use proper anchors for important links.
• Excessive cross-linking unrelated pages wastes crawl and user focus.