What Is Link Equity (Link Juice)?
Definition
Link equity (also known as "link juice") is the value and authority that a hyperlink passes from one page to another. Dofollow links pass link equity, helping the linked page rank higher in search results.
How link equity works
Every page on the web has a certain amount of authority, determined in part by the backlinks it has earned. When that page links to another page, it passes a portion of its authority through the link. This transferred authority is link equity.
Think of it like a recommendation. A link from a highly respected, authoritative page carries more weight than a link from an unknown page, just as a recommendation from an industry leader means more than one from a stranger. The most valuable links are editorial links — earned through genuine endorsement.
Factors that affect link equity
- Linking page authority. Pages with higher domain authority and PageRank pass more equity. A link from a DA 80 site passes significantly more value than one from a DA 15 site.
- Number of outgoing links. Link equity is divided among all outgoing links on a page. A page with 5 outgoing links passes more equity per link than one with 100.
- Relevance. Links from topically relevant pages are believed to pass more effective equity. A link from a marketing blog to a marketing tool is more valuable than one from a cooking blog — this is the concept of niche relevance.
- Link attribute. Dofollow links pass equity. Nofollow links traditionally don't, though Google now treats nofollow as a hint. Security attributes like noopener and noreferrer have no effect on equity. This is why Web 2.0 backlinks (from platforms like Medium or WordPress.com) typically pass little to no link equity.
- Link placement. Contextual links within body content typically pass more equity than links in footers, sidebars, or navigation menus.
- Anchor text. Descriptive anchor text helps search engines understand what the linked page is about, making the equity more targeted.
Page A (DA 70) has 10 outgoing links. Page B (DA 70) has 100 outgoing links. Which passes more link equity per link?
Correct! Link equity is divided among all outgoing links on a page. With the same authority, fewer outgoing links means each individual link receives a larger share.
Page A passes more equity per link because its authority is divided among only 10 links instead of 100. Link equity splits — it doesn't multiply with more links.
Link equity and internal linking
Link equity doesn't just flow from external sites. It also flows through your own internal links. When a high-authority page on your site links to a lower-authority page, it passes equity that can help that page rank better.
This is why strategic internal linking is important: it lets you funnel the authority you've earned from backlinks to the pages that need it most. Be wary of shortcut tactics like PBNs that try to manufacture link equity artificially — Google can detect and penalize these.
301 redirects and link equity
When you change a URL or migrate your site, 301 redirects preserve link equity. Google has confirmed that 301 redirects pass full link equity to the destination URL. Without proper redirects, you lose all the authority those old URLs had earned.
You're moving your blog from /blog/old-post to /blog/new-post. The old URL has 50 referring domains. What should you do?
Right! A 301 redirect tells search engines the page has permanently moved and passes the full link equity from the old URL to the new one. Without it, you'd lose 50 referring domains worth of authority.
A 301 redirect is the correct approach. It passes full link equity to the new URL. Deleting the page without a redirect means losing all that authority. Keeping both creates duplicate content issues.
Earn link equity from real editorial mentions
MentionAgent gets your product mentioned on relevant blogs with dofollow links — building the link equity that drives rankings.
Start Getting Mentioned For $99/moFrequently asked questions
Do nofollow links pass link equity?
Traditionally, no. However, since 2019 Google treats nofollow as a "hint" rather than a directive, meaning it may pass some equity in certain cases. For practical purposes, dofollow links remain far more valuable for link equity.
Do 301 redirects preserve link equity?
Yes. Google has confirmed that 301 redirects pass full link equity to the destination URL. This is critical when migrating sites or changing URL structures.
Does a link from a high-authority page always pass more equity?
Generally yes, but it also depends on how many outgoing links are on that page. A high-authority page with hundreds of outgoing links splits equity among all of them, so each link passes less. A lower-authority page with few outgoing links might pass more per link.
Is "link juice" the same as link equity?
Yes. "Link juice" is an informal, older term for the same concept. Both refer to the authority that flows between pages through hyperlinks. The industry increasingly uses "link equity" as the more professional term.