What is Equity SEO (Link Juice)?
In SEO, link equity (often called link juice or link authority) is the value or “authority” that one web page passes to another through hyperlinks. Think of each link as a vote of confidence: a link from a high-authority page (like Wikipedia) is a strong endorsement that can boost the linked page’s ranking. In fact, Google’s original PageRank algorithm treated links like votes – the more quality votes a page got, the higher it ranked. For example, a dofollow backlink from a well-known site (high domain authority) passes much more equity than one from a small, unknown blog. In simple terms, link equity measures how much “ranking power” flows from one page to another via a link.
Equity SEO is the practice of managing and optimizing this flow of link value. In this guide we will explain how link equity moves through internal links (within your site) and external links (backlinks from other sites), cover on-page vs off-page factors that affect it, point out common mistakes to avoid, and give actionable tips and tools for beginners. By the end, you’ll understand how to build and preserve “link juice” to improve your site’s SEO.
How Link Equity Flows Through Links
Internal Links: Every site page can pass equity to other pages on the same domain. Google’s own SEO analyst John Mueller has said that internal linking is “super critical” for SEO, because it helps show Google which pages you consider most important. Essentially, internal links direct the flow of PageRank around your site. For example, your homepage usually has the most incoming authority (because it gets the most backlinks), so linking from your homepage to your key pages (like service pages or popular blog posts) shares that equity with them. Ahrefs notes that in an e-commerce site, linking from the homepage to best-selling product pages can both improve user experience and distribute authority effectively.
Internal anchor text also matters: using relevant, descriptive phrases helps Google understand page context. For example, linking to a page about “red dresses” using anchor text like “red maxi dresses” reinforces what that page is about for search engines. Keep internal links in your main content area rather than hiding them in footers or sidebars, since links in the body of a page tend to carry more weight. Note that having too many links on one page can dilute the equity each link passes – Google treats excessive linking as spammy. A good rule is to link strategically to relevant pages without overloading the page.
External Links (Backlinks): When an external website links to one of your pages, it passes link equity into your site. Each backlink is essentially a recommendation. If an authoritative, relevant site links to you, you get more value. For example, Google’s algorithm looks at both the authority of the linking page and its topical relevance. A backlink from a trusted news site about your industry will help your site more than a link from an unrelated or low-quality site. Ahrefs explains that links from pages with higher authority (“domain rating”) tend to pass more link juice. This is why SEO tools use metrics like Domain Authority (Moz), Domain Rating (Ahrefs), or SEMrush Authority Score – they estimate how much link equity a site has based on its backlinks.
It’s important to use dofollow links for these endorsements. Most social media links are nofollow and therefore do NOT pass equity. Similarly, paid or sponsored links should be marked nofollow so they don’t dilute your site’s link equity. Google confirmed that nofollow links don’t transfer PageRank. On the other hand, if you link out to a high-quality external resource, you also pass some of your own page’s link equity to that external page. Use external links judiciously – only link to valuable, relevant sites as it’s like vouching for them.
On-Page SEO Factors That Affect Link Equity
Internal Link Relevance: Link together only related content. Irrelevant linking provides little SEO value. For instance, linking a blog post about how your business started to an article on your services isn’t very relevant. Galactic Fed notes that irrelevant links “don’t provide much authority or value” and aren’t helpful for SEO. Always make sure your internal links make sense to the topic at hand.
Anchor Text Quality: Use descriptive, keyword-relevant anchor text for your links. Clear anchors help Google understand the context of the linked page. For example, in an internal link to a page about “digital marketing services,” using the anchor “digital marketing services” is better than a generic “click here”. Ahrefs emphasizes optimizing anchor texts to increase the link equity passed.
Link Placement (Location): Place important links in the main content area. Google has said that links in the body of the content generally pass more equity than links buried in headers, footers, or sidebars. Users and crawlers focus on the main text, so linking from the article content is stronger. If a key page is only reachable via a tiny footer link, it won’t get as much PageRank as if linked within the content.
Number of Links: Avoid overloading pages with links. Each additional link splits the page’s equity into thinner slices. Semrush warns that too many on-page links can overwhelm visitors and make it harder for Google to crawl your site effectively. Although Google doesn’t give a hard limit, as a practical matter keep internal links to a reasonable number (few dozen is often plenty) so each link carries more weight.
Crawlability and Indexing: Ensure that your important pages are crawlable. If a page is blocked by robots.txt or marked “noindex”, it won’t receive link equity. Internal links to a noindexed page won’t count. Also, avoid orphan pages with no internal links at all. Google typically discovers pages via links; if a page has no inbound links and isn’t in your sitemap, Google may never find it. Always link to new pages from somewhere on your site (like your blog or a category page) so they can earn equity.
Broken Links: Fix broken internal links. A link to a 404 or removed page will simply waste equity – Google will not pass value along a broken chain. Semrush notes that broken links “affect the flow of link equity throughout your site” and can hurt rankings. Regularly audit your site for broken links (many SEO tools or Google Search Console can help) and either remove or update them to working URLs.
Off-Page SEO Factors That Affect Link Equity
Backlink Quality: The most important off-page factor is the quality of incoming backlinks. Links from high-authority, reputable sites carry far more equity than links from low-authority or spammy sites. For instance, a dofollow link from a .edu or .gov site or an industry leader’s blog can significantly boost your equity, whereas the same link anchor from a brand-new, unrelated forum would do much less.
Backlink Relevance: Links from topically related sites pass more relevance-based equity. As Ahrefs points out, a link from a site about “pets” to a page on cats is more valuable than a link from a completely unrelated subject. Search engines assess whether the linking page’s topic matches the linked content. The more contextually relevant the linking content, the better.
Anchor Text of Backlinks: Just like with internal links, the anchor text of external backlinks matters. Relevant, descriptive anchors signal to search engines what your page is about. Optimize it naturally in link-building (e.g. if your page is about “summer travel tips,” an anchor with “summer travel tips” is powerful). However, be careful not to overdo exact-match anchors, as this can look manipulative.
Number of Referring Domains: Quantity of links is less important than diversity. Getting backlinks from many distinct domains generally shows trust, whereas hundreds of links all from the same site have diminishing returns. Victorious notes that to boost link equity, you want backlinks from distinct referring domains. Having numerous unique, credible sites linking to you is a stronger signal than a large number of links from a single or few domains.
Nofollow vs Dofollow: Remember that only dofollow backlinks pass equity. If a site links to you with a nofollow tag, Google will not transfer PageRank through that link. Most social media and many comments/blog links are nofollow (so they bring traffic but not link equity). Focus on earning real dofollow links from authoritative places.
Spam and Toxic Links: Backlinks from link farms, paid spam networks, or irrelevant directories can hurt more than help. Google pays attention to link quality, and a pattern of spammy links can lower your trust. Use tools like Google Search Console to identify any toxic links, and consider disavowing those from malicious or irrelevant sites. Regularly monitoring your backlink profile (via Ahrefs/Moz/SEMrush) helps you spot and address bad links before they damage your SEO.
SEO Tools to Measure and Optimize Link Equity
Modern SEO tools make it easier to see link equity and address issues:
Ahrefs: Its Site Explorer shows every backlink to your site and calculates metrics like Domain Rating (DR) and URL Rating (UR) that approximate link equity strength. (Ahrefs notes that UR is similar to Google’s original PageRank.) You can sort by highest DR links, top anchor text, and even get an “Internal Link Report” to audit your link distribution.
Moz: Moz’s Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA) scores estimate how strong a domain or page’s link profile is. Moz’s Link Explorer lets you see all inbound links, anchor text, and their Spam Score. These metrics are not used by Google, but they give a good relative sense of site authority and link equity.
SEMrush: This tool offers an Authority Score (combining backlinks and other factors) and detailed Backlink Analytics reports. You can track number of backlinks, referring domains, and anchors over time. SEMrush’s Site Audit also flags internal linking issues (like broken or orphan pages) that might disrupt equity flow. For example, the audit will report if you have “Broken internal links” or “Too many links” on a page.
Google Search Console: Free and essential, GSC’s Links report shows who links to your site and to which pages, including top linking sites and most linked pages. This is a direct view of your actual Google data. Use it to verify key backlinks and identify any unexpected spam. It also provides an internal links report so you can see which pages get the most internal passes. If you find spammy backlinks here, GSC provides a disavow tool to tell Google to ignore them.
Other Tools: Majestic (with metrics like Trust Flow), MozBar (browser toolbar for quick DA/PA), and even Screaming Frog (to crawl your site and find internal linking issues) can help manage link equity. Many analytics and audit tools will point out missing internal links, 301/302 redirect chains, and nofollow usage that affect equity.
Using these tools regularly helps you measure your link profile’s health and spot opportunities to improve equity distribution.
Examples of Link Equity in Action
Homepage to Key Pages: Imagine your homepage has many backlinks. By linking your homepage to crucial pages (like a Services page or a Blog page), you “hand off” some of that homepage authority to them. For example, Victorious advises that your homepage “should link to your service pages and your blog”, since the homepage usually acquires the most link equity.
Blog and Content Clusters: If you write a blog post that naturally earns backlinks (say an ultimate guide), you can spread that link juice by linking from that post to related articles or product pages. Ahrefs suggests linking new blog posts to other topically relevant pages as long as it’s useful. This passes equity around and strengthens the overall content cluster.
E-commerce Products: On an online store, you might have one product page that many sites link to. Use internal links from that high-equity product page to other product or category pages. As mentioned, linking from your homepage to your best-selling product pages highlights them and shares the homepage’s equity.
These examples show how thoughtful linking can use one page’s authority to lift others on your site.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Broken Internal Links: Never leave links pointing to non-existent pages. Broken links break the equity chain and harm user experience. Regularly crawl your site to find and fix any 404s.
Too Many Links on One Page: Overstuffing a page with links (e.g. hundreds or thousands) dilutes the value each link passes. It also confuses both users and search engines. Clean up unnecessary footer links or link lists and focus links on truly helpful navigation.
Orphan Pages: Pages with no internal links get no equity. Google struggles to find them (unless in sitemap). Make sure every important page is linked from somewhere on your site (even a single link).
Irrelevant Linking: Linking unrelated pages (or linking out of context) provides little benefit. Avoid adding links just to have them; ensure the source and target pages share a clear topic relation.
Generic Anchor Text: Using non-descriptive anchors like “click here” wastes SEO potential. Each link is an opportunity to convey context. Use meaningful text.
Over-Optimized Anchor Text: Conversely, avoid stuffing every internal link with the exact same keyword-rich anchor. Overuse of identical anchors can look unnatural. Vary your anchors moderately.
Ignoring Nofollow/Sponsored Links: If you have paid ads, sponsored content, or UGC links, mark them nofollow. Otherwise, you leak equity and possibly violate Google’s guidelines. For example, Victorious warns to only link out to external resources you trust, since your link also “reflects back on you”.
Neglecting Spammy Backlinks: Don’t ignore a flood of low-quality backlinks. If left unchecked, a buildup of spammy links can hurt your link equity. Use Google’s Disavow Tool for harmful links.
Improper Redirects: When moving content, use a 301 (permanent) redirect. Using 302 (temporary) can prevent full equity transfer. Victorious confirms that the right type of redirect is needed to preserve link juice.
Avoiding these pitfalls will help keep your link equity focused and effective.
Actionable Tips for Beginners
Get Quality Backlinks: Focus on earning links from reputable, relevant sites. Guest post on industry blogs, create high-value content (original research, helpful guides), or participate in communities in your niche. High-authority backlinks (and multiple unique domains) will grow your link equity faster than dozens of low-quality links.
Use Internal Linking Wisely: Audit your site’s internal links. Link from strong pages (like your homepage or popular posts) to important but weaker pages to share equity. Distribute links in content where it makes sense. Ahrefs advises using internal linking to spread juice throughout your site.
Optimize Anchor Text: Wherever you link, use clear, relevant anchors. Instead of “click here,” use descriptive phrases. This helps both SEO and user clarity. For instance, link to an SEO guide using “SEO guide for beginners” as the anchor.
Fix Broken Links Regularly: Use an SEO audit tool or Google Search Console to find broken internal links. Replace or remove them promptly so equity isn’t wasted. For example, Semrush’s Site Audit highlights broken links so you can fix them.
Keep Outbound Links in Check: Any time you link out to another site, you’re passing equity away. Link out sparingly and only to valuable, trusted resources. If linking out, make sure those links open in a new tab or have nofollow if they’re not editorial.
Leverage SEO Tools: Check Google Search Console’s Links report to see your top incoming links and internal link counts. Use Ahrefs/Moz/SEMrush to monitor new backlinks and anchor text diversity. These tools often highlight issues (like all-pages linking loops or orphan pages) that can rob equity.
Create Link-Worthy Content: Ultimately, the best way to increase link equity is to have content people want to link to. Write unique, useful articles or tools in your field. Promotional outreach (emailing bloggers, sharing on social) can help these earn backlinks naturally.
Avoid Spammy Tactics: Do not buy cheap links or use link networks. Stay white-hat. Google’s algorithms can filter out obvious spam, and violating guidelines can wipe out your equity.
Stay Patient and Consistent: Building link equity takes time. Consistently adding good content, linking wisely, and growing your backlink profile will pay off over months. Track your progress with the tools mentioned and celebrate small wins.
By following these tips and focusing on both your internal link structure and external backlink quality, you’ll gradually improve how link equity is distributed throughout your site. Over time, this can lead to higher rankings and more organic traffic.
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Good post! We will be linking to this particularly great post on our site. Keep up the great writing
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You’ve earned my upvote.