What is Link Equity?
Link equity (historically called link juice) is the ranking value that a hyperlink passes from one page to another — determined by the linking page's authority, the link's relevance, its placement, and whether it is a followed or nofollowed link.
Why It Matters
Not all links are equal. A link from a high-authority page in a relevant context passes significantly more ranking value than a link from a low-authority page in an unrelated context. Understanding link equity helps SEO practitioners make better decisions: which links to pursue, how to structure internal linking, when to use redirects, and how to avoid wasting the authority the site has already accumulated.
Link equity also explains why site architecture matters. Authority enters the site through backlinks, typically to the homepage and a few popular pages. Internal links distribute that authority to other pages. If the distribution is inefficient — important pages are too many clicks from the homepage, or authority is spread thin across thousands of low-value pages — the site underperforms its potential.
How It Works
Link equity is influenced by several factors:
- Linking page authority — A link from a page with high authority passes more equity than one from a low-authority page. This is why links from major publications, industry leaders, and authoritative resource pages are so valuable.
- Topical relevance — A link from a topically related page passes more relevant equity. A link to an SEO page from an SEO blog is more valuable than the same link from a cooking site.
- Link placement — Editorial links within main body content pass more equity than links in sidebars, footers, or navigation menus. Google recognises that a contextual link within a paragraph is a stronger editorial signal.
- Number of links on the page — Equity is divided among all outgoing links on a page. A page with 5 outgoing links passes more equity per link than one with 500 outgoing links.
- Follow status — Standard links pass equity. Nofollow, sponsored, and UGC links tell Google not to pass equity (though Google treats these as hints and may pass some value regardless).
Common Mistakes
Losing link equity through unnecessary redirects, broken links, and poor architecture. Every 301 redirect loses a small amount of equity. Every broken link wastes equity entirely. Every unnecessary page in the link chain dilutes the flow. Keeping link paths clean and direct preserves maximum equity.
The other mistake is hoarding equity on the homepage. Some sites have hundreds of backlinks to the homepage but minimal internal linking to service pages, product pages, or content that should rank. The equity sits on the homepage without being distributed. Strategic internal linking pushes homepage authority to the pages that need it most.
How I Use This
My advanced SEO audit maps link equity flow across the site — identifying where authority enters, how it distributes through internal links, and where it is being lost or wasted. My internal linking automation optimises the distribution, ensuring important pages receive proportional authority from the site's overall backlink profile.
Related Services
How BrightIQ uses Link Equity
This concept is central to the following services:
Related Terms
301 Redirect
A 301 redirect is a permanent server-side redirect that sends users and search engines from an old URL to a new one — transferring the majority of the original page's link equity and ranking signals to the destination URL.
Backlink
A backlink is a link from another website to yours — functioning as a vote of confidence that tells search engines the linked content is valuable, trustworthy, and worth ranking. Backlinks remain one of Google's most important ranking factors.
Domain Authority
Domain authority is a concept (and a Moz metric scored 0-100) representing the overall strength of a website's backlink profile and its likelihood of ranking in search results — used as a comparative measure of competitive strength between websites.
Internal Linking
Internal linking is the practice of connecting pages within the same website through hyperlinks — distributing page authority, establishing content hierarchy, helping search engines discover and understand pages, and guiding users to related content.