Link Equity
The ranking value passed from one page to another through links. Also called "link juice." Not all links pass equal equity - relevance, authority, and placement all matter.
Why It Matters
Link equity is the currency of SEO authority. When a page links to another, it passes a portion of its ranking power through that link. The more authoritative and relevant the linking page, the more equity it transfers.
Understanding link equity helps you make strategic decisions about site architecture, internal linking, and which pages to prioritise for link building. It's why a single link from a major news site can move your rankings more than hundreds of links from obscure blogs.
In Practice
Direct more internal links to your most important pages - they'll accumulate more equity. Use a flat site architecture so important pages are within 2-3 clicks of the homepage (which typically has the most equity).
Nofollow links don't pass equity in the traditional sense. Sponsored and UGC attributes similarly signal to Google not to count those links for ranking purposes. Focus link building efforts on earning dofollow links from relevant, authoritative sites.
Avoid long redirect chains that dilute equity. A page redirecting through 3-4 hops loses ranking power at each step. Clean up redirect chains to pass equity efficiently.
Related Terms
Glossary
Backlink
A link from another site to yours - still one of Google's top ranking factors.
Glossary
PageRank
Google's original link-based algorithm for measuring page importance - still a factor.
Glossary
Internal Link
Links between pages on your own site - the most underrated SEO lever available.
Glossary
Nofollow
A link attribute telling search engines not to pass ranking credit through that link.
Glossary
Redirect (301 vs 302)
301 is permanent (transfers ranking signals), 302 is temporary - use the right one.
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