{"id":3120,"date":"2008-04-30T21:58:58","date_gmt":"2008-04-30T16:28:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=3120"},"modified":"2026-10-17T10:12:41","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T04:42:41","slug":"google-pagerank-update-starts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/04\/google-pagerank-update-starts\/","title":{"rendered":"Google PageRank Update: What Happened to the PR Score?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Google PageRank<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-67189\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/google-pagerank-2026-1024x538.webp\" alt=\"Google PageRank history and what to check instead\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/google-pagerank-2026-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/google-pagerank-2026-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/google-pagerank-2026-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/google-pagerank-2026-768x403.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/google-pagerank-2026.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af01b838a87a\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af01b838a87a\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/04\/google-pagerank-update-starts\/#What_was_a_Google_PageRank_update\" >What was a Google PageRank update?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/04\/google-pagerank-update-starts\/#Paid_links_and_the_2007_Google_PageRank_penalties\" >Paid links and the 2007 Google PageRank penalties<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/04\/google-pagerank-update-starts\/#What_happened_to_toolbar_PageRank\" >What happened to toolbar PageRank<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/04\/google-pagerank-update-starts\/#What_to_check_instead_in_2026\" >What to check instead in 2026<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/04\/google-pagerank-update-starts\/#Google_Search_Console\" >Google Search Console<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/04\/google-pagerank-update-starts\/#Third-party_authority_scores\" >Third-party authority scores<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/04\/google-pagerank-update-starts\/#Link_the_safe_way\" >Link the safe way<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/04\/google-pagerank-update-starts\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/04\/google-pagerank-update-starts\/#Does_Google_still_use_PageRank\" >Does Google still use PageRank?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/04\/google-pagerank-update-starts\/#Can_I_check_my_Google_PageRank_today\" >Can I check my Google PageRank today?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/04\/google-pagerank-update-starts\/#Why_did_my_PageRank_drop_in_the_past\" >Why did my PageRank drop in the past?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/04\/google-pagerank-update-starts\/#What_replaced_PageRank_for_site_owners\" >What replaced PageRank for site owners?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_was_a_Google_PageRank_update\"><\/span>What was a Google PageRank update?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Paid_links_and_the_2007_Google_PageRank_penalties\"><\/span>Paid links and the 2007 Google PageRank penalties<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>We were hit too. In October 2007 our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/10\/google-pagerank-drops-pr6-to-pr3\/\">PageRank dropped from PR6 to PR3<\/a>. We <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/10\/google-pagerank-crash-file-webmaster-reconsideration-request\/\">filed a reconsideration request<\/a> in Google Webmaster Tools, clearly stating that no paid or hidden text links were sold on the site any more, and the score was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/11\/google-penalty-removed-pagerank-updated-pr3-to-pr6\/\">restored from PR3 to PR6<\/a>. So when the April 2008 update arrived, we watched it closely like everyone else.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_happened_to_toolbar_PageRank\"><\/span>What happened to toolbar PageRank<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The updates slowed down.<\/strong> Public PR refreshes became rare. We covered one of the last, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/12\/google-toolbar-pagerank-update\/\">toolbar PageRank update in December 2013<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Google removed it.<\/strong> In March 2016 Google confirmed it was removing PageRank from the toolbar, so the score was no longer visible anywhere.<\/li>\n<li><strong>PageRank still exists inside Google.<\/strong> Google said it would keep using PageRank as one of many signals in its ranking, just not as a public number.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Any website that still offers to &#8220;check your Google PageRank&#8221; today is showing you its own estimate, not a score from Google.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_to_check_instead_in_2026\"><\/span>What to check instead in 2026<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Google_Search_Console\"><\/span>Google Search Console<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/search.google.com\/search-console\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Search Console<\/a> 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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/08\/confirm-manual-webspam-google-penalty\/\">how to check for a manual action<\/a> and fix it.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Third-party_authority_scores\"><\/span>Third-party authority scores<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>SEO tools such as <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ahrefs<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/moz.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Moz<\/a> and <a rel=\"sponsored nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/go\/semrush\/\" target=\"_blank\">Semrush<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Link_the_safe_way\"><\/span>Link the safe way<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Paid links are still against Google&#8217;s rules if they pass ranking credit. Google asks you to mark ads and paid placements with <code>rel=\"sponsored\"<\/code>, as explained in its <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/crawling-indexing\/qualify-outbound-links\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">guide to qualifying outbound links<\/a>. For more, see our list of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/10\/link-building-mistakes\/\">link building mistakes to avoid<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_Google_still_use_PageRank\"><\/span>Does Google still use PageRank?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Google said it still uses PageRank internally as one of many ranking signals. It just doesn&#8217;t show the score to the public.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_check_my_Google_PageRank_today\"><\/span>Can I check my Google PageRank today?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. Google removed public PageRank from its toolbar in 2016. Sites that show a PR score today use their own estimates.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_did_my_PageRank_drop_in_the_past\"><\/span>Why did my PageRank drop in the past?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_replaced_PageRank_for_site_owners\"><\/span>What replaced PageRank for site owners?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Google Search Console is the best way to see how Google treats your site. Third-party tools offer authority scores for comparing sites.<\/p>\n<p><em>Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. QuickOnlineTips may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Google PageRank was once the number every webmaster watched. In April 2008 we reported that a new PageRank update was&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":67189,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,43,41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogging","category-money","category-search-engine-optimization"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3120"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67515,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3120\/revisions\/67515"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}