Link juice

What is link juice?

Link juice is an SEO term that refers to the ranking power or authority that one webpage transfers to another through hyperlinks. When a page links to another page, it passes some of its own credibility and authority—its "juice"—to the destination page. Search engines view these links as votes of confidence, indicating that the linked content is valuable and trustworthy. The concept stems from Google's original PageRank algorithm, which revolutionized search by evaluating websites based on their link relationships rather than just keyword presence.

How does link juice flow between websites?

Link juice flows through the web's interconnected network of hyperlinks, creating a complex ecosystem of authority transfer. When a high-authority site links to your page, it passes more valuable link juice than a link from a low-authority site. This transfer happens both between websites (external links) and within the same website (internal links). The amount of link juice passed depends on factors like the linking page's own authority, the number of other links on that page, and the relevance between the linked pages. Each page has a finite amount of link juice to distribute, which gets divided among all links on the page—meaning fewer outbound links results in more juice per link.

Why is link juice important for SEO?

Link juice directly influences how search engines evaluate and rank your website. Pages receiving substantial link juice from authoritative sources tend to rank higher in search results because they're perceived as more credible and relevant. Despite numerous algorithm updates, backlinks remain one of Google's top ranking factors. Beyond improving rankings, accumulated link juice helps new content on your site rank faster through internal linking, establishes topical authority in your industry, and creates a compound effect as your growing authority attracts more links. This virtuous cycle of link acquisition forms the foundation of sustainable organic search visibility.

How can you maximize link juice for better rankings?

To maximize link juice, create a strategic internal linking structure that channels authority to your most important pages. Prioritize acquiring backlinks from relevant, authoritative websites in your industry through content creation, relationship building, and genuine value offering. Use descriptive anchor text that helps search engines understand what the linked page is about. Implement a flat site architecture that minimizes the number of clicks required to reach any page from your homepage. Regularly audit your site to identify and fix broken links that waste valuable link equity. Consider using the pillar-cluster content model to create topical relevance signals between related pages, strengthening the impact of your internal link juice distribution.

What causes link juice to be lost or diluted?

Link juice can be lost or diluted through several common practices. Using the nofollow attribute on links prevents them from passing authority. Redirect chains force link juice through multiple hops, with each step reducing the passed authority. Having too many outbound links on a single page divides the available link juice into smaller portions, diminishing the value passed to each destination. Broken links waste link equity that could otherwise strengthen your site. Low-quality or spammy outbound links can reduce your own page's authority. Orphaned pages that aren't linked to from anywhere within your site receive no internal link juice. Even page speed issues can impact link juice, as crawlers may spend less time following links on slow-loading pages, effectively reducing the flow of authority throughout your site.