PageRank (PR) Score – Definition and Historical Role in SEO
PageRank (PR) was Google’s original way of measuring how important a web page was. Developed by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, it worked by analyzing the number and quality of links pointing to a page. Each link acted as a vote, but not all votes were equal—links from highly authoritative pages carried more weight.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, this was groundbreaking. Google even made PR scores public through the Google Toolbar, showing a 0–10 scale (more green on the bar meant higher PR).
SEO practitioners quickly latched onto PR as the metric of success – a higher PageRank meant higher likelihood of ranking well. This led to an entire link-building economy, with webmasters aggressively exchanging or buying links to boost their PageRank. In fact, the obsession with PR became so intense that it “dramatically reshaped the web,” contributing to practices like spammy link directories, comment spamming, and link schemes.
However, Google gradually dialed back the public importance of PageRank. Spammers abusing links forced Google to introduce the “nofollow” attribute in 2005 to prevent passing PR in certain cases. Google also stopped updating the public Toolbar PageRank after 2013. Finally, in 2016, Google officially removed public PageRank scores, confirming that the browser toolbar metric would no longer be available
What is Domain Rating (DR) Score?
Domain Rating (DR) is an SEO metric developed by Ahrefs to measure the strength of a website’s backlink profile. It’s scored on a 0–100 scale, with higher numbers indicating stronger backlink authority. While DR is useful for SEO analysis, it’s important to note that it’s not used by Google for ranking websites.
On the other hand, PageRank (PR) was Google’s original algorithm for ranking web pages based on links. It worked at the page level and played a major role in early search rankings. Though PR is no longer publicly visible, it still exists in Google’s internal ranking calculations.
Domain Rating (DR) vs. PageRank (PR): What’s the Difference?
Here’s how DR and PR compare:
While PR shaped early SEO, DR and other third-party metrics (like Moz’s Domain Authority) help SEOs today estimate a website’s backlink strength. But since Google doesn’t use DR in rankings, it’s just a reference point—not a direct ranking factor. Many SEO practitioners now talk about “domain authority” in the context of DR/DA as proxies for what PageRank used to represent.
Best Practices for Improving PageRank and Domain Rating Naturally
Improving your PageRank (behind the scenes) and third-party authority metrics like DR should be a byproduct of smart SEO and marketing – essentially, earning your authority rather than artificially manipulating it.
Here are some best practices to boost these scores naturally and sustainably:
1. Outreach and Digital PR
Don’t just wait for links to come – actively promote your best content. Outreach can involve contacting bloggers, journalists, or industry influencers who might find your content relevant to their audience.
A personalized, non-spammy pitch can result in them mentioning or sharing your content (with a backlink). Digital PR campaigns – such as press releases, story pitches, or viral campaigns – can earn high-authority links if they get picked up.
For instance, a PR story that gets you mentioned (and linked) in a major publication can significantly boost your authority. Building relationships in your industry (e.g., through Twitter, LinkedIn, or at conferences) also opens opportunities: people are more inclined to link to those they know and trust.
Guest posting on reputable sites in your niche (writing an article for them with a bio link back to your site) is another white-hat method to get backlinks and also position yourself as an expert.
The key is to target reputable, relevant sites for outreach – one link from a high-DR relevant site is worth more than dozens from low-quality or off-topic sites.
2. Internal Linking and Site Structure
Within your own site, use internal links to channel the PageRank you earn to the pages that matter most. While internal links don’t boost DR (since DR is purely based on external backlinks), they do affect how PageRank flows internally.
A best practice is to link from high-authority pages on your site (like ones with strong backlinks) to other relevant pages you want to rank. This ensures no PageRank is trapped and that all pages get some share of link equity. A clear, hierarchical site structure where every page is a few clicks from the home page helps too.
Plus,, fix broken links or redirects on your site – if an external link points to a broken page (404), you lose the benefit; 301-redirect those to a relevant page to reclaim the link juice.
3. Avoid Black-Hat Link Building (Don’t Chase the Algorithm)
It’s crucial to steer clear of manipulative link-building schemes. Buying links, participating in link farms or private blog networks (PBNs), or spamming forums/comment sections for links might boost your PageRank/DR in the very short term, but Google’s algorithms (like Penguin) or manual reviewers will likely catch on.
At best, Google will simply ignore those low-quality links (so they become a waste of money/effort), and at worst, your site could be penalized or demoted, wiping out the gains and then some.
If you engage a SaaS SEO agency or service, ensure they use white-hat tactics. A good test: ask “would I still want this backlink if Google didn’t exist?” If the answer is no (i.e., it’s only for SEO, not because a human audience might benefit from that link), then it might not be a natural link.
4. Leverage Social and Communities (Indirect Link Building)
Being active on social media and in online communities can indirectly help you get links. While most social links are nofollow (not passing PR), the exposure can lead to real backlinks.
For example, if you share a great article on Twitter or Reddit and it goes viral, bloggers or journalists who see it might write about it and link to it.
Engaging in communities like Stack Exchange, Reddit, Quora, or industry forums (in a non-promotional, value-adding way) can build your reputation and sometimes allow a subtle link drop that genuinely helps users – if your contributions are good, people may follow your profile link or mention your site elsewhere.
Just be cautious; the goal is to build relationships and reputation, not to spam your links.
5. Optimize for Link Opportunities
Sometimes, small technical or content tweaks can earn you more links. For example, create embed codes for infographics or charts you publish, making it easy for other sites to share with attribution.
Provide transcripts for videos or podcasts you produce – other sites might quote and link to them. Maintain a press page or about page with interesting info (journalists often look here for facts and might link to it).
And ensure your site is link-friendly: e.g., your content is publicly accessible (not behind paywalls or login), URLs are clean and descriptive (people are more likely to link to a nice URL), and your site is reliable (downtime = missed link opportunities).
FAQs on PR and DR in Modern SEO
1. Does Google use Domain Rating (DR) as a ranking factor?
No, Google does not use DR (or any third-party authority metric) in its ranking algorithm. Google representatives, including John Mueller, have stated that while they evaluate a site’s authority, they don’t assign a single domain-wide score like DR. Instead, they assess links and content relevance on a page-by-page basis.
2. Is PageRank (PR) still relevant in Google’s algorithm?
Yes, but it’s no longer publicly visible. Google confirmed that PageRank is still part of their internal ranking system, but it’s just one of many factors. Modern SEO experts focus on “link equity” instead, which is similar to PR but includes other ranking signals like content relevance and trustworthiness.
3. Should I focus more on PR or DR for SEO?
Neither should be your main focus. PR (as an internal Google signal) and DR (as a third-party metric) both indicate backlink authority, but relevance and content quality matter just as much. Experts recommend prioritizing high-quality, relevant backlinks over chasing a higher DR score.
4. Can a low-DR site outrank a high-DR site?
Yes, if its content is more relevant or better optimized for search intent. Experts often point out that Google ranks pages, not domains, so even a high-DR site won’t automatically win if the competing page has stronger backlinks, better content, and a better user experience.
5. Is there a point where more links stop making a difference?
For newer sites, backlinks are crucial for gaining visibility. But for high-authority sites (DR 80+), additional links often have diminishing returns. Experts say at that stage, focusing on content quality, technical SEO, and on-page optimization will have a greater impact than just acquiring more links.
