PageRank is the idea Google was founded on: a link from one page to another works like a vote, and votes from important pages count for more. More than a decade of Penguin refreshes, link spam updates and AI-based spam detection later, people still ask whether links matter. Google's own documentation gives a clear answer: link analysis is still part of how it ranks pages.
This article explains what Google currently says about link analysis and PageRank, what Penguin and the link spam updates changed, and what kinds of links are worth earning in 2026. Dates and quotes come from Google's documentation, the Search Status Dashboard and Wikipedia.
Key Takeaways
- Google's ranking systems guide still lists link analysis systems and PageRank, and says PageRank remains part of its core ranking systems — though it has changed a lot since launch.
- Penguin (2012) fought link spam with periodic refreshes; since Penguin 4.0 in 2016 it has worked in real time inside core ranking, devaluing spammy links.
- Google's confirmed link spam updates ran in July–August 2021 and December 2022 – January 2023, the latter using SpamBrain.
- When spammy links are neutralised, Google says their benefit is simply lost.
- Links that carry value are earned because a page is worth citing; paid links should be qualified with
rel="sponsored"ornofollow.
What Google says about link analysis today
“Among these is PageRank, one of our core ranking systems used when Google first launched.”
— Google Search Central, A guide to Google Search ranking systems
Google's ranking systems guide says it has various systems that understand how pages link to each other to work out what pages are about and which might be most helpful, and that PageRank has evolved a lot since it began. Note the two jobs: links help with relevance (what a page is about, often via anchor text and context) as well as importance.
A short history of PageRank
According to Wikipedia, Larry Page and Sergey Brin developed PageRank at Stanford in 1996, with the first paper published in 1998. Two later milestones changed how SEOs related to it:
- Early 2005: Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft introduced the
nofollowlink attribute, so links could be marked as not passing ranking credit. - April 2016: Google turned off the public PageRank score in its toolbar after announcing the change in March 2016. PageRank kept running internally — only the public number disappeared.
- 2019: Google added
rel="sponsored"andrel="ugc"as additional link attributes.
For the basics of link attributes, see dofollow vs nofollow links.
A decade of link-related updates
| Date | Update | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Apr 2012 | Penguin | Webspam update targeting link schemes and keyword stuffing (~3.1% of English queries) | Wikipedia; Google guide |
| 22 May 2013 | Penguin 2.0 | Went deeper than the home page | Wikipedia |
| 16 May 2014 | Payday Loans 2.0 | Targeted low-quality external links in heavily spammed queries | Wikipedia |
| 17 Oct 2014 | Penguin 3.0 | Refresh after more than a year; some sites recovered | Wikipedia |
| Sep 2016 | Penguin 4.0 | Real time, part of core, devalues spammy links rather than demoting whole sites | Google; Wikipedia |
| 26 Jul – 24 Aug 2021 | July 2021 link spam update | Nullified spammy links across languages; reminder to tag affiliate and sponsored links | Google; Search Engine Land |
| 14 Dec 2022 – 12 Jan 2023 | December 2022 link spam update | Used SpamBrain to detect sites buying links and sites passing outgoing links | Google; dashboard |
What Penguin and the link spam updates changed
The biggest shift was from punishment to neutralisation. Early Penguin could hold a whole site down until the next refresh. Since 2016, Google's systems mostly ignore links they identify as spam. The spam updates page is direct about the consequence:
“any ranking benefit the links may have previously generated for your site is lost.”
— Google Search Central, Google Search spam updates and your site
Google's spam policies still define the behaviour it targets:
“Link spam is the practice of creating links to or from a site primarily for the purpose of manipulating search rankings.”
— Google Search Central, Spam policies for Google web search
That covers buying or selling links that pass ranking credit, excessive link exchanges, large-scale guest posting campaigns with keyword-rich anchors, and automated link building. Manual actions for unnatural links still exist alongside the algorithms — see algorithmic demotion vs manual action. Our wider SpamBrain explainer covers what Google has disclosed about its AI detection.
What earns link value now
Google has not published a list of “good” link attributes, so the following is our practical reading of the guide and the spam policies rather than a Google checklist:
| Likely to carry value | Likely to be ignored or risky |
|---|---|
| Editorial citations of your research, data or tools | Paid links without rel="sponsored" |
| Coverage by relevant publications and local media | Private blog networks and link farms |
| Links from partners, suppliers and associations that make sense for users | Keyword-stuffed guest posts placed at scale |
| Natural anchors that describe the page | Exact-match anchors repeated across many sites |
| Links from pages that themselves get traffic | Sitewide footer links sold for ranking |
Our high-quality backlinks guide and link building after link spam updates cover tactics in depth.
A step-by-step link health review
- Export your links from Search Console and a third-party tool.
- Flag paid or reciprocal links you or past agencies arranged.
- Qualify links you control with
rel="sponsored"ornofollow, or remove them. - Check Manual actions in Search Console. Use the disavow tool mainly if there is an unnatural links action or a clear history of link schemes.
- Shift effort to earned links: original research, useful tools and digital PR. Our backlink audit guide has a template.
Common mistakes
- Believing PageRank is “dead” because the toolbar score disappeared in 2016.
- Chasing third-party authority scores as if they were Google metrics.
- Disavowing large numbers of natural links after any drop.
- Expecting rankings to return after removing paid links — the lost value does not come back.
- Buying links labelled “safe” or “Penguin-proof”.
Related Guides
- Removal-Based Demotion: How DMCA and Personal Info Removals Affect Rankings
- Google's Reliable Information Systems and Content Advisories
- How Google's Reviews System Works Now That It Updates Continuously
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Google still use PageRank?
Yes. Google's ranking systems guide says PageRank remains part of its core ranking systems, although it has evolved considerably since launch.
Is Penguin still running?
Its function continues inside core ranking. Google lists Penguin as retired because it was integrated into the core systems in 2016.
What happens to links caught by a link spam update?
Google neutralises them, and any ranking benefit they provided is lost.
Should I disavow toxic links?
Usually only if you have a manual action for unnatural links or a clear history of link schemes. Google ignores most spammy links on its own.
Do nofollow links help rankings?
Google treats nofollow, sponsored and ugc as hints. They are not a route to ranking credit, but natural mentions can still bring traffic and visibility.
Conclusion
Links still matter because Google still analyses them — but only the ones that reflect genuine endorsement. Build things worth citing, label what you pay for, and let link spam updates pass you by. For help with a clean, earned link strategy, talk to our SEO team or request a quote.
