Link Equity: How to Measure, Preserve & Maximize SEO Value

Link equity is the trust and value that passes from one page to another. When Google notices this value, it starts to see your page as a reliable source.

Here’s a simple example to help explain link equity.

Suppose you want to find the best cake shop in town. You ask ten friends, and seven suggest the same place. You’d likely feel confident that this shop is a good choice.

Google works much the same way.

• Every link from another website acts like a recommendation.
• If reliable websites link to your page, Google starts to trust your page too.
• The value from these recommendations is known as link equity. Some people also refer to it as link juice.

What is Link Equity and How Does it Work

Link equity is the value that moves from one page to another through a link. This value can come from other websites or from within your own site.

Link equity can be passed from external websites via backlinks and also distributed within your website through internal links.

How Link Equity Works:

To understand how link equity works, imagine authority moving from one website to another, like liquid flowing through a pipe.

The tank on the left represents a high-quality, trusted website. Google sees links from reputable sites as strong signals that your content could be valuable.

The bottom pipe shows a follow link. These are standard links that allow search engines to follow the linked site and pass link equity to it. The red valve represents a nofollow link.

These links use the rel=”nofollow” tag, which tells search engines they pass little or no value. Google now treats this as a hint. That’s why the valve is closed.

It shows that authority doesn’t flow through it. Sometimes, a small cup gets a few drops so that Google can find the page, but only a little value is passed.

In the image, the liquid flowing through the pipe symbolizes the transfer of authority.

The second tank, which is filling up, represents your webpage gaining equity. As the liquid flows in, your page receives trust, authority, and ranking signals from the source page.

This won’t instantly improve your page rank, but it helps Google see that your content deserves to rank. That’s the real impact of link equity.

Why Link Equity Still Matters

Link equity is important because it’s a key search engine ranking factor. When a high-quality site links to your page, Google sees your page as useful, trustworthy, relevant, and worth ranking.

Link equity can improve your rankings by showing that your content is trustworthy, which may help your page appear higher in search results. High-quality links and strong internal linking can also help your pages get indexed more quickly.

When your page appears higher in search results, you get more organic clicks and more visitors to your site.

What Makes a Link Pass More Equity?

A link’s value depends on several factors, such as how trustworthy the linking page is, how relevant your content is, and where the link appears on the page.

One important concept behind link value is PageRank. PageRank was Google’s first algorithm for understanding the importance of a page based on the number and quality of links pointing to it.

The idea is simple: people usually link to pages they find helpful or valuable. Because of this, PageRank is often connected with link equity. While PageRank is no longer the only or primary ranking factor, Google still uses a modern version of it as part of its link evaluation.

Next, let’s look at other important factors that help pass link equity.

Authority of the Linking Page:

The authority of the page linking to you matters because it influences how much link equity your page may receive.

When a well-established, relevant website links to your content, Google sees that as a strong signal that your page is valuable and credible. Links from low-quality or unreliable sites usually pass much less value.

For example, HubSpot is a well-known marketing platform. when HubSpot links to your article it helps their readers because that link carries more weight., which signals higher credibility to search engines.

Link Relevance:

Google looks at how relevant the linking page is to judge the value of the link. Links from pages closely related to your content pass more value than links from unrelated pages.

For example, if a fitness website links to your workout guide, the link is relevant and makes sense. But if a dog grooming website links to the same workout guide, the connection is weak, so the link carries less value.

Link Position:

Link position is where your link appears in the content. Links placed naturally within the main content are usually more valuable than those in sidebars, footers, or headers.

Number of External Links:

When a page has many external links, each link gets less value because the equity is shared among them.

Adding more links will split readers’ attention, and each will get fewer clicks and less focus. It will reduce its overall impact compared to a single clear link.

Let’s take a simple example here, if more people are sharing one Pizza, the smaller slice you will get. The same applies to link equity; consider it a pizza, and many links are like smaller slices (less equity).

The Link Tag:

Links can be tagged as “nofollow,” “sponsored,” or “UGC” (User Generated Content). These tags tell Google how to treat a link.

In most cases, links with these tags do not pass link equity. They are mainly used for ads, partnerships, and user-generated content rather than as ranking signals.

By default, links without these tags are often called dofollow links. These links can pass link equity when they come from relevant and trustworthy pages.

You can check these links with SEO tools. Suppose you don’t use any tools, open a page in your browser to check the link tag. Open your website in a browser, right-click on the link, choose “Inspect”, and look for the rel attribute, such as nofollow, sponsored, or ugc.

How to Improve Internal Link Equity

Internal links connect one page to another within the same website.

Google follows internal links to understand:

• Which pages are more important
• How well your website is organized
• Where to pass value (link equity)

If your internal linking is weak or unclear, Google may struggle to identify your most important pages. As a result, those pages may not rank.

Here are some simple steps to improve internal link equity on your website.

Find your Strong Pages

Some pages on your website may already have backlinks from other websites. These backlinks give those pages more link equity. Making them stronger in search engines.

Think of these pages as your strong pages.

In the image above, Apple’s website is analyzed in the Ahrefs SEO Analysis Tool, using the “Best by links” report. This report shows which Apple pages receive the most links from other websites.

Each row represents one Apple page. The “Referring domains” column shows how many different websites link to that page.

Pages with the highest numbers appear at the top. These are the strongest pages.

Use Strong Pages to Pass Value

Apple doesn’t let this value remain on a single page.

Instead, Apple website uses internal links to pass value from strong pages to other important pages.

For example:

• Apple’s main iPhone page links to individual iPhone model pages
• Those model pages link to pricing and feature pages.

Because the main iPhone page has many backlinks, it is very strong. When it links to other pages, it passes a value to them. This helps Google understand that those pages are important as well.

You can use the same approach on your own website.

1. Use a tool like Ahrefs to find pages on your site with the most backlinks
2. Treat these pages as your strongest pages
3. Add clear, natural links from them to your most important pages
4. Make sure the links appear inside the main content.

This helps value flow through your website and improves your chances of ranking important pages.

How to Prioritize Link Equity Across Your Website

To get better SEO results and business impact, you need to decide which pages should receive more internal link value.

Your link must distribute its link equity strategically. It will directly impact rankings, conversions, and revenue, and should be given higher priority.

Priority 1: Hub Pages (Highest Priority)

Hub pages are your most important business pages. These pages directly support your goals, such as generating leads or sales.

Example:

• Services pages
• Product pages
• High-intent landing pages

Why these pages deserve the highest priority

• It targets keywords with commercial intent.
• The rankings directly impact revenue.
• The money page often faces competition and needs more authority to rank.

Your strongest pages should link to these hub pages.

Priority 2: Pillar Guides (Medium Priority)

Pillar guides are detailed pages that cover a broad topic in one place. They act as the main resource page for a topic and link to smaller related pages (cluster pages).

Examples:

• In-depth guides
• Ultimate resources

Why do they matter:

• They help Google understand your topic clearly
• They improve user experience
• They support both SEO and conversions indirectly

Pillar pages should receive a link from strong pages and pass value to cluster pages.

Priority 3: Cluster Pages (Lower Priority)

Cluster pages focus on specific subtopics related to the pillar page.

Example:

• FAQs
• Glossary pages
• Detailed blog posts

These pages support the pillar page and help Google understand your website’s depth.

Why do they matter:

• They answer specific user questions
• They strengthen the pillar page’s topic authority
• They complete the internal linking structure

Each cluster page should link back to the pillar page.

Best practices to maximize equity flow:

• Use your strong pages to support important pages
• Create clear main topics and related subtopics.
• Place links naturally inside relevant paragraphs.
• Ensure all the important pages receive internal links.
• Ensure users can reach the important pages within 2-3 clicks.

Fix Broken Internal Link Problems

Broken links are links that no longer work. When you click them, you may see an error like “page doesn’t exist” or a 404 Not Found message. If your site has broken links, it can lose link equity.

If the missing page was important, you can restore it or redirect to a closely related page. This helps link equity continue flowing through your site instead of ending at a dead page.

When a page has been permanently removed, set up a redirect to the most relevant existing page. This preserves link equity and guides both users and Google to the right content.

External Linking Strategies

To increase your link equity, focus on earning relevant backlinks through ethical methods, such as user-friendly strategies that comply with Google’s guidelines.

Here are some effective and safe strategies to build more link equity:

Digital PR

Digital PR means getting others’ websites to link to you because your content is valuable, such as insights, data, or stories that publishers want to refer to.

When trusted websites link to your content, they send strong signals to Google that your page is valuable. These links usually bring higher link equity.

Guest Posting

Guest posting means writing an article for another website in your industry and linking back to your site.

Find websites in your niche that offer valuable content and have real readers. When you link naturally inside the article, it can pass link equity and also bring visitors to your site.

Create Linkable Assets

Some content attracts links naturally because people find it useful.

To attract, you can publish valuable content such as Guides, Tools, Templates, Studies, and infographics on your site that others want to link to.

When you publish helpful content like this and share it through social media or email, other websites are more likely to link to it. These links add link equity to your site over time.

Finding Broken Link Opportunities

Sometimes a website links to pages that no longer exist, resulting in a 404 error.

This causes a loss of value for both users and the search engine.

You can take advantage of this by:

• Finding broken links on other websites
• Creating a relevant and helpful replacement page
• Suggesting your content as an alternative

Broken link building helps fix a problem for the website owner and earns you a valuable backlink.

External Pages Losing Link Equity

Sometimes your website loses link equity because a page that had many backlinks no longer exists.

This can happen when:

• A URL is changed
• A page is deleted
• Old content is removed during a website redesign

In some cases, a single broken page may have hundreds or even thousands of links pointing to it. When this page returns a 404 error, all that link value is wasted.

To recover this value:

• Redirect broken page to the most relevant existing page
• Or restore the original content if it was important

This helps recover link equity and ensures value continues to flow into your website.

Measuring the Impact of Link Equity

Link equity helps search engines understand which pages on your website are important. Over time, this can improve visibility, rankings, and traffic.

To determine whether your link equity efforts are working, track the following metrics.

Organic Traffic:

Organic traffic refers to the visitors who reach your website through unpaid search results on Google.

You can use Google Search Console to track organic clicks and impressions for your pages. When link equity improves, Google may see your page as more important and relevant.

As a result, your page can appear more often in search results, leading to higher impressions and, eventually, more clicks.

Keyword Ranking:

Keyword ranking shows where your page appears in search results for specific keywords.

Track your ranking of main keywords over a period of 4 – 8 weeks, not daily. Link equity is a long-term signal, so rankings usually improve gradually rather than instantly.

When strong pages link to a target page, search engines treat that page as more important. If link equity is working, you may notice your page moving closer to the top results for your target keywords.

Crawl Frequency:

Crawl frequency refers to how often the search engines visit your pages.

Pages that receive more internal or external links are crawled more frequently because search engines see them as important. You can use the Google Search Console to monitor it.

A higher crawl frequency does not directly improve rankings, but it helps search engines discover updates faster and keep pages fresher in search results.

Internal Linking Counts:

Internal linking counts show how many pages from your website link to a specific page.

You can use Screaming Frog to review the “inlinks” report to see how many internal links are distributed. Pages with more internal links usually receive more internal link equity.

If you increase links to a priority page and see improved visibility or rankings over time, it’s a strong sign that internal link equity is working correctly.

Referral Traffic:

Referral traffic includes visitors who come to your website by clicking links from other websites.

You can use Google Analytics 4 to see which backlinks drive traffic to your website. High-quality backlinks not only pass link equity but also drive real users.

Common Link Equity Mistakes to Avoid

Here are some frequent mistakes that can weaken a website’s ability to gain and distribute link equity. Avoiding them helps ensure your authority flows to the correct page.

Mistake 1: Not checking for nofollow links

Links marked as nofollow, sponsored, or UGC usually do not pass link equity. Google treats these links as hints, not ranking signals.

You might assume the valuable backlink is helping your SEO, but it isn’t. Always check the link type before inserting.

Mistake 2: Ignoring Link Relevance

A link from an unrelated website sends weak topical signals, even if the website itself is popular.

Google prioritizes relevance over authority. A relevant link from a smaller website is often more valuable than an unrelated link from a large site. Focus on links from pages that genuinely relate to your topics.

Mistake 3: Over-optimizing the Anchor Text

Anchor text helps search engines understand what a linked page is about. However, repeatedly using exact-match keywords can look unnatural.

Over-optimized anchor text may signal manipulation. Use natural language and a mix of branded, partial, and descriptive anchors to keep links looking genuine and user-friendly.

Mistake 4: Creating Pages with No Internal Links

Pages with no internal links pointing to them are known as orphan pages.

Orphan pages receive little to no internal link equity, making them difficult for search engines to discover and rank. Important pages should always be connected through clear internal links from related content.

Mistake 5: Buying Cheap or Spammy Links

Links from PBNs (private blog networks) or link farms can harm your website.

Google can detect unnatural link patterns, which can lead to penalties. Cheap links usually create long-term SEO problems rather than sustainable growth.

Mistake 6: Using Redirect Chains

A redirect chain occurs when a URL passes through multiple redirects before reaching the final page.

This creates a poor experience for users and search engines and can reduce the amount of link equity preserved.

• 301 redirects are permanent and preserve most link equity
• 302 redirects are temporary and should only be used when the change is not permanent.

Remove unnecessary redirect chains and use direct 301 redirects to the most relevant page.

Mistake 7: Leaving Outdated Pages Untouched

Outdated pages may still receive traffic and backlinks, but no longer provide useful or accurate information.

This can reduce user trust and waste link equity. Update, merge, redirect, or remove outdated pages so the value they provide supports relevant, helpful content.

Wrapping Up: Link Equity

Link equity is still one of the strongest ranking signals Google uses to decide which page deserves a higher ranking. It depends on authority, relevance, and internal linking.

Effective link equity management helps you turn existing authority into long-term, measurable SEO growth.