PageRank is an algorithm used by Google to rank web pages based on their importance and relevance to a given search query. It works by analyzing the link structure of the web, treating each link from one page to another as a "vote" for the linked page.
The idea behind PageRank is that if a page is linked to by many other pages, especially high-quality pages, it is likely to be more authoritative and relevant. The algorithm assigns a score to each page based on the number and quality of inbound links. Pages with higher PageRank scores are considered more important and are ranked higher in search results.
For example, if a well-known and authoritative website like a university links to a particular blog post, it would pass "link juice" to that post, boosting its PageRank. This helps search engines determine the relevance of web pages based on the interconnectedness of the web, not just on the content alone.