What PageRank means
PageRank was Google's original method for scoring a page's importance based on the links pointing to it. Today, Google no longer publishes a public PageRank number for websites.
A founder researching link authority might come across old articles referencing a 'PageRank of 5' for a site and wonder why current tools never mention that number anymore.
PageRank is not the same thing as Ahrefs' Domain Rating, even though people sometimes use the two interchangeably. PageRank was Google's internal concept; Domain Rating is a separate third-party metric.
When you read about link authority today, check whether the article means the historical Google concept or a current third-party score like Domain Rating.
Why this matters for builders
Understand the idea behind link authority without confusing it with Ahrefs Domain Rating.
Mistake builders make often
Writers and founders sometimes use 'PageRank' and 'Domain Rating' as if they were the same current metric, confusing an old Google concept with a modern third-party score.
What to do now
Read What is PageRank? and Domain Rating vs PageRank to keep the two concepts separate in your own writing.