Link equity (also known as 'link juice') refers to the value or authority passed from one page to another through links. This transferred value is commonly referred to as link equity.
When a page links to another page, some of its authority is transferred through that link. Pages with higher authority generally pass more equity than low-quality or weak pages.
Link equity is influenced by factors such as the authority of the linking page, the number of outgoing links on that page, and where the link appears within the content. Internal linking and backlinks (see what is a backlink in seo?) both contribute to how link equity flows through a website.
Managing link equity effectively helps prioritise important pages and improve overall site performance in search results.
Link Juice Explained
Link equity (often called “link juice” or “SEO equity”) is the idea that links help transfer authority and importance from one page to another. Search engines use links to understand which pages are trusted, which pages matter, and how authority should flow through the web and through your own site.
A useful way to think about link equity is: a page has a limited amount of “voting power”, and each followed link from that page can pass a share of that power to the pages it links to. That’s why a single link from a strong, well-linked page can move the needle more than a large number of weak links.
Link equity is closely related to PageRank-style systems. Link equity is the value that moves through a link, while PageRank is the resulting importance score a page accumulates based on the links pointing to it.
What affects how much link equity a link passes
Not all links pass the same value. Link equity depends on practical factors like:
- Strength of the linking page – a link from a page with real authority and visibility usually passes more value than a link from a thin page nobody links to.
- Where the link sits – links in the main body content usually count more than sidebar, footer, or boilerplate links.
- How many other links are on the page – a page linking to 5 URLs can pass more per link than a page linking to 500 URLs.
- Crawlability and indexation – pages that aren’t crawlable or indexable generally won’t pass meaningful equity, and links that search engines don’t treat as “followed” may not pass equity in the first place.
- Anchor text and surrounding context – descriptive anchor text and relevant surrounding copy help search engines understand what the linked page is about, which can influence how the link is interpreted.
- Topical alignment – links that make sense in context (to users and to the topic) are typically stronger than random or forced links.
Internal vs external link equity
Both backlinks (external links from other sites) and internal links (links within your site) can pass equity.
Backlinks are how authority enters your site from the broader web.
Internal linking is how you distribute that authority to the pages you want to rank – especially your hub pages and money pages.
This is why site structure matters. You can earn great links and still underperform if your internal linking doesn’t direct that equity to the right pages.
“Link juice example” (simplified)
If Page A is a strong page and it links to Page B in the middle of the content, Page B can benefit.
If Page A links out to hundreds of pages (or the link is buried in boilerplate), the equity passed to any single target tends to be weaker.
It’s not a perfect math you can measure precisely, but the principle is consistent: stronger sources + fewer competing links + better link placement = more value passed.
Link exchanges and link equity (what to avoid)
Link exchange usually means “you link to me and I’ll link to you.” That can happen naturally, but organised link exchange sites and systematic link swapping can grow into a footprint of link manipulation.
The risk here is that you end up building a link profile that “looks” artificial or unnatural. However, it’s important to also realise that there is a big difference between “spammy looking links” and actual manipulation or “link spam”.
Another approach is to earn links by publishing genuinely useful content, building relationships with outreach, and using internal linking on your own website to make sure the link equity you do earn ends up supporting the right pages.