What is Link Equity?

Link equity, also referred to as link juice, describes the ability of a link to pass authority from one page to another. The amount of equity a link provides could depend on multiple factors, such as page relevance, domain authority, and its type. Link juice can affect pages that have both internal and external links. There are many best practices that search engine optimization (SEO) professionals could implement to improve how a webpage ranks by increasing a site’s link equity. These tactics could result in increased site traffic, domain authority, and brand recognition.

What Factors Influence Link Juice?

The value shared between two linked webpages depends on several factors, including the linked pages’ relevance. Linked pages that discuss similar topics or are determined relevant may provide more value between each other. For example, a link connecting two personal injury law pages may share more link juice than a fashion blogger linking to a page on animal care. Relevance is becoming an increasingly important factor as Google’s ability to understand page content increases.

Additionally, links from authoritative domains may provide more link equity to pages of content. Because Google views credibility as one of the most important ranking factors, links from trusted sources could provide greater value compared to unestablished domains. Other factors that could affect a link’s value include how many links are already on the referring webpage and where the link is located. Followed links, links that pass link juice and are crawled by the Google bot, and 301-redirects, which forward the user to a different destination page, tend to have more link equity. Conversely, some conditions could result in two linked pages not sharing link equity. This may involve links with a no-follow tag, which stops Google from crawling the page, or links from unindexed pages.

Improving Link Equity

One way a business or organization could directly improve the value of their site’s link equity is through internal link optimization. Improving internal link structure could help maximize the value of links connecting two pages in the same domain. Similarly, identifying and removing pages with 404 Not Found errors, which commonly occur when pages are moved, edited, or deleted, could prevent lost or inefficient link equity. In addition to internal link optimization, link building campaigns could help gain beneficial external links from authoritative sites.

Link Equity is Part of a Larger SEO Process

In addition to providing link juice, internal and external links could significantly impact a business. Optimization of internal and external links can help increase a website’s ranking, site traffic, and overall user experience. The knowledgeable SEO professionals at BluShark Digital are experienced in optimizing links to maximize an organization’s digital presence. For more information on how our digital marketing team could help, contact us today.