What is link equity?
Link equity, sometimes called link juice, is the value that flows from one page to another through a link. The idea is simple: a page that many sites link to has more authority, and when it links out, some of that authority goes with the link.
The term is industry slang, not Google's. Google's documented version is PageRank, one of its original ranking systems. Its ranking systems guide says that how PageRank works has evolved a lot since launch and that it remains part of Google's core ranking systems. Google doesn't publish how much any individual link passes, so treat precise claims about percentages and "leaks" with suspicion.
What affects the value of a link
Some factors Google has documented; others are widely assumed and unconfirmed.
- Documented: Google has to be able to crawl the link, which means an
<a>element with anhref. Links created only by JavaScript click handlers may not be followed. Thenofollow,sponsoredandugcattributes are hints that a link shouldn't pass credit. Anchor text helps Google understand what the target is about. - Reasonable but unconfirmed: links from pages that are themselves well linked carry more weight, and a page with hundreds of links passes less to each one.
Link equity from other sites comes through backlinks. Within your own site, you decide where it goes.
Internal links spread it
Your home page usually collects the most external links, so pages it links to directly start with an advantage. Every level of navigation from there spreads that value further. That's why internal linking decisions matter:
- Link from strong pages (home page, popular guides) to the pages you want to rank.
- Avoid orphan pages, which receive nothing; see internal linking.
- Fix broken internal links and chains of redirects so links point straight to the final URL.
An old tactic was adding nofollow to your own internal links to "save" equity for others. Google changed how it handled nofollow years ago so this doesn't work; it only leaves those pages with fewer signals.
Bought links and spam updates
Buying links to gain equity violates Google's spam policies. Google's spam update documentation adds a detail that matters here: when its systems neutralize spammy links, any ranking benefit those links gave is lost and can't be regained, even after cleanup. Paid placements should carry rel="sponsored"; see sponsored and UGC links.
Common questions
Is link equity the same as PageRank?
Roughly. PageRank is Google's documented link analysis system; link equity is the industry's informal name for the value links pass.
Do nofollow links pass link equity?
Google treats nofollow as a hint, not a strict rule, so it may or may not use such a link. You shouldn't count on it.
Does linking out to other sites waste link equity?
Linking to useful sources is normal and helps readers. There is no good evidence that sensible outbound linking hurts your rankings.