Link Equity

Link equity, often called “link juice”, is the value or authority that a link passes from one page to another. It is an everyday way of describing the effect of PageRank: when a trusted page links to yours, some of its strength flows to your page and can help it rank.

Written by Paul Hoda, SEO consultant since 2005. Last updated 8 November 2026.

What affects how much link equity a link passes

  • Authority of the linking page: links from pages with many quality backlinks pass more value.
  • Relevance: links from pages about related topics are more valuable.
  • Number of links on the page: a page with hundreds of outbound links spreads its value thinly.
  • Position on the page: links within main content generally carry more weight than footer, sidebar or boilerplate links.
  • Link attributes: nofollow, sponsored and ugc links usually pass little or no equity (Nofollow, Sponsored and UGC Links).
  • Status of the target URL: links to pages that redirect or return errors may lose value.
  • Crawlability: links Google cannot crawl, such as those in blocked pages or created only by JavaScript, cannot pass equity.

How link equity flows through your site

External Backlinks bring equity into your site, usually to the homepage and popular content. Internal links then distribute it to other pages. A clear Site Architecture ensures equity reaches important pages rather than getting stuck on old blog posts or utility pages.

How link equity is lost

  • Broken links: links to pages that now return 404 errors waste the equity those links carried.
  • Redirect chains: multiple hops increase the chance of loss or failure (Redirect Chains).
  • Irrelevant redirects: redirecting many pages to the homepage can be treated as soft 404s, so the equity is not passed.
  • Orphaned content: pages with backlinks but no internal links keep their value to themselves.
  • Excessive links: navigation menus with hundreds of links dilute value across them all.

How to preserve and use link equity

  1. Redirect old URLs with 301 redirects to the most relevant live pages, especially those with backlinks.
  2. Fix broken internal and external links pointing to your site, or redirect the targets.
  3. Link from your strongest pages to the pages you most want to rank.
  4. Keep navigation focused on the most important sections.
  5. Use contextual links in body text with descriptive Anchor Text.
  6. Reclaim links from sites linking to outdated or broken URLs on your domain.

Finding pages with untapped equity

Use a backlink tool to list your pages with the most referring domains. Check that each one returns a 200 status code and links to relevant commercial or priority pages. Pages with strong backlinks but few internal links are some of the easiest wins in SEO.

Link equity and domain migrations

When moving to a new domain, link equity is transferred through redirects. Mapping every old URL carefully is critical. My article on redirecting a highly ranked domain explains what to expect, and the Website Migration entry covers the full process.

Key Takeaways

  • Link equity is the value a link passes to another page.
  • Authority, relevance, placement and attributes affect how much passes.
  • Broken links, chains and irrelevant redirects waste equity.
  • Redirect old URLs with backlinks to relevant live pages.
  • Link from pages with strong backlinks to your priority pages.

Related Terms

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