What is Link Equity?
Link equity, or “link juice,” refers to the authority or value transferred from one page to another through a link. This value is influenced by factors such as the relevance and authority of the linking page, as well as the overall authority of the website it’s on. Both internal and external backlinks contribute to the flow of link equity.
Link equity affects PageRank, as pages with more relevant and authoritative backlinks tend to have higher PageRank. In essence, link equity is the value passed from one page to another, while PageRank reflects the relative importance of a page based on the link juice it receives.
The Importance of Link Equity
Link equity is crucial because it’s tied to PageRank, a known ranking factor for Google. The more link equity a page receives, the better its chances of ranking higher in search results.
In short, link equity reflects the strength of a backlink. By understanding how it works, you can prioritise your link-building efforts to secure high-quality links that will have a positive impact on your rankings.
Factors Determining Link Equity
The amount of link equity a page passes to another depends on several factors, including:
- PageRank of the referring page: Although we don’t have access to Google’s exact PageRank data, we can use tools like Ahrefs’ URL Rating (UR) as a substitute – The higher the UR, the more link equity the page can pass.
- Relevance of the referring page: Link equity increases when the linking page is closely related to the content of the page it links to. For example, a page about project management software will pass more value to a page on managing productivity at work than to one on travelling.
- Domain authority of the referring website: The overall authority of a website, determined by its backlink profile, plays a role in link equity.
- Authoritativeness of the referring website: The trustworthiness of the linking website is important. Sites with high-quality content and reputable creators tend to pass more link equity.
- Page indexability: Only indexable pages can transfer link equity, and this happens through “followed” links. Pages that are noindexed, not crawlable, or non-canonical cannot pass link juice.
- Number of outgoing links: The link equity a page distributes is divided among the number of outgoing links. The more links a page has, the less link equity each individual link will pass.
- Relevance of the anchor text: Anchor text that closely relates to the body content of the linked page passes more link equity, making it a key element in the value of a backlink.
Looking to learn more about different types of strategies to build backlinks to improve your link equity? Check out our podcast summarising key points.
