Link Equity
The value or authority that a hyperlink passes from one page to another, influencing search engine rankings.
Also known as: Link Juice, Link Value, Link Authority
Category: Concepts
Tags: seo, links, authority, search-engines, rankings
Explanation
Link equity (historically called "link juice") is the SEO value transferred from one page to another through hyperlinks. When a page with authority links to another page, it passes a portion of that authority along. This concept is the foundation of how search engines determine page importance and rankings.
How link equity flows:
- A page's equity is divided among all its outbound links
- More links on a page means less equity per link
- Links from high-authority pages pass more equity
- Links from topically relevant pages carry more weight
- First links on a page may carry more weight than subsequent ones
Factors that affect link equity:
- **Authority of the linking page**: A link from a DA 80 site passes more equity than from a DA 20 site
- **Relevance**: Links from topically related pages pass more contextual equity
- **Link placement**: Editorial links within content pass more equity than footer or sidebar links
- **Anchor text**: The clickable text provides topical signals about the target page
- **Follow status**: Nofollow, sponsored, and UGC attributes tell search engines not to pass equity
- **Redirects**: 301 redirects pass most equity; chains and 302s may dilute it
Internal vs external equity:
- External links from other domains build overall site authority
- Internal links distribute existing equity to important pages within the site
- Strategic internal linking can concentrate equity on pages you want to rank
Link equity explains why link building is a core SEO strategy and why internal linking architecture matters. Pages that accumulate more equity from quality sources tend to rank higher for competitive terms.
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