Link Equity

Link equity refers to the ranking power that flows from one web page to another when a hyperlink is created. When a page with high authority links to another page, it passes some of that authority forward, increasing the linked page's relevance and trustworthiness signals to search engines. The amount of equity transferred depends on factors like the source page's own authority, the number of outbound links on that page (dilution effect), and the relevance of the linking context.

For SEO practitioners, link equity is foundational to link strategy. Building internal link equity by connecting related content strengthens topical clusters and distributes authority from high-performing pages to priority targets. External links from authoritative, relevant sources carry significant weight. Conversely, poor link quality or excessive outbound links from a page dilute its equity. Understanding flow helps teams prioritize which pages to link to, audit link worthiness, and diagnose why certain pages underperform despite good content.

In practice, link equity is invisible but measurable through tools that estimate page authority (domain rating, page authority scores, topical authority). When redesigning a site or consolidating pages, practitioners track equity loss and redirect chains to preserve value. Strategic internal linking often provides faster results than waiting for external links, making equity distribution a core technical SEO task.