What is Link Equity?
Link equity, often referred to as “link juice,” is the level of authority or value that is passed from one page to another through hyperlinks. This value is influenced by several factors such as the topical relevance and authority of the linking page, the overall authority of the linking site, and more.
Both internal and external backlinks pass link equity, which can significantly influence a page’s ranking in search engine results.
Why is Link Equity Important?
Link equity is closely tied to PageRank, a confirmed ranking factor for Google. The more link equity a page receives, the higher its chances of ranking well in search results. Essentially, link equity acts as a vote of confidence from one page to another, indicating to search engines that the linked page is valuable and trustworthy.
By understanding and leveraging link equity, you can focus your link-building efforts on acquiring high-quality links that will positively impact your site’s rankings.
What Determines Link Equity?
Several factors influence the amount of link equity that one page passes to another:
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PageRank of the Referring Page: Although Google no longer provides exact PageRank numbers, you can use metrics like URL Rating (UR) from SEO tools like Ranktracker to estimate the value.
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Relevance of the Referring Page: The more contextually relevant the linking page is to the linked page, the more link equity it will pass. For example, a link from a page about dog diets to another page about dog food carries more value than a link from a gardening page.
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Authority of the Referring Website: The overall authority of the linking domain, which can be measured using metrics like Domain Rating (DR), plays a significant role. You can check it using Ranktracker’s Website Authority Checker.
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General Authoritativeness: This encompasses the credibility and trustworthiness of the linking website, influenced by the quality and usefulness of its content and the reputation of its creators.
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Page Indexability: Only indexable pages can pass link equity, and only through “followed” links. Pages that are noindexed, not crawlable, or non-canonical cannot pass link juice.
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Number of Outgoing Links on the Referring Page: The link equity a page can pass is divided among all the links it contains. More outgoing links mean less link juice passed through each link.
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Relevance of the Anchor Text: Anchor text that is relevant to the content of the linked page helps in passing more link equity, as it provides context to search engines.
FAQs
Are Link Equity and PageRank the Same?
No, they are not the same. Link equity refers to the value passed from one page to another, while PageRank is a measure of the relative importance of a page based on the link juice it receives from other pages.
Can You Measure Link Equity?
You cannot accurately measure link equity, but you can estimate it using factors like domain authority, page authority, and other metrics provided by SEO tools.
What If I Don’t Want to Pass Link Equity?
When a page passes link juice to another, it doesn’t lose its own link juice. However, if you don’t want to pass link equity for specific links, you can use the “nofollow” attribute. This tells search engines not to follow the link, thus not passing any link juice.
By understanding and effectively leveraging link equity, you can enhance your website’s authority and improve its search engine rankings, leading to increased organic traffic and better overall SEO performance.
