// SEO
PageRank was Google's original link analysis algorithm, which estimated the importance of a web page based on the quantity and quality of links pointing to it. While Google has confirmed that the original PageRank patent is no longer the primary ranking system, link signals remain an important ranking factor.
Why it matters: Modern search engines use far more sophisticated link analysis than the original PageRank formula, but the core principle persists: links from authoritative, relevant pages carry more weight than links from low-quality or unrelated sources. Focus on earning quality links rather than maximizing raw link count.