Google PageRank Update: What Happened to the PR Score?

Google PageRank was once the number every webmaster watched. In April 2008 we reported that a new PageRank update was rolling out and top sites were seeing their scores jump around. This article explains what that PR score was, what happened to it, and what you should check instead in 2026.

Quick answer: Toolbar PageRank was a public 0-10 score Google showed for each page, updated every few months. Google stopped updating it for years and confirmed in March 2016 that it was removing it from the toolbar. Google still uses PageRank inside its ranking systems, but you can no longer see it, so use Google Search Console to track how your site performs.

What was a Google PageRank update?

PageRank is the link analysis idea that helped Google stand out in its early days: a page that gets links from many important pages is probably important too. Google showed a simplified version of it as a 0 to 10 score in the Google Toolbar.

That public score was refreshed only every few months. Each refresh, called a PageRank update, sent site owners rushing to check whether their PR had gone up or down. A higher PR was seen as a badge of site authority.

Paid links and the 2007 Google PageRank penalties

In 2007 Google began cutting the visible PageRank of sites that sold text links and sponsored posts that passed PageRank. As scores crashed for many top blogs, hidden paid links and sponsored posts quickly disappeared across the web.

We were hit too. In October 2007 our PageRank dropped from PR6 to PR3. We filed a reconsideration request in Google Webmaster Tools, clearly stating that no paid or hidden text links were sold on the site any more, and the score was restored from PR3 to PR6. So when the April 2008 update arrived, we watched it closely like everyone else.

What happened to toolbar PageRank

• The updates slowed down. Public PR refreshes became rare. We covered one of the last, a toolbar PageRank update in December 2013.
• Google removed it. In March 2016 Google confirmed it was removing PageRank from the toolbar, so the score was no longer visible anywhere.
• PageRank still exists inside Google. Google said it would keep using PageRank as one of many signals in its ranking, just not as a public number.

Any website that still offers to “check your Google PageRank” today is showing you its own estimate, not a score from Google.

What to check instead in 2026

Google Search Console

Google Search Console (external site) is free and shows the clicks, impressions and average position your pages get in Google Search. It is also where you see any manual action. Our guide shows how to check for a manual action and fix it.

Third-party authority scores

SEO tools such as Ahrefs (external site), Moz (external site) and Semrush have their own link-based scores. They are useful for comparing sites, but they are not Google metrics, so watch your real traffic rather than chasing a number.

Link the safe way

Paid links are still against Google’s rules if they pass ranking credit. Google asks you to mark ads and paid placements with rel="sponsored", as explained in its guide to qualifying outbound links (external site). For more, see our list of link building mistakes to avoid.

FAQ

Does Google still use PageRank?

Yes. Google said it still uses PageRank internally as one of many ranking signals. It just doesn’t show the score to the public.

Can I check my Google PageRank today?

No. Google removed public PageRank from its toolbar in 2016. Sites that show a PR score today use their own estimates.

Why did my PageRank drop in the past?

Big drops often came from Google penalties for selling links that passed PageRank. Removing the paid links and filing a reconsideration request could restore the score, as it did for us.

What replaced PageRank for site owners?

Google Search Console is the best way to see how Google treats your site. Third-party tools offer authority scores for comparing sites.

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