# Link equity (link juice)

Category: [On-Page & Content](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/on-page-content/) › [Internal linking, structure & UX](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/on-page-content/internal-linking-structure-ux/) · Also known as: link equity, link power

**Link juice** (also called link equity) is an informal SEO term for the value a link is thought to pass from the page it sits on to the page it points to. Google does not use the term or define it. It is a picture for the idea behind PageRank, where links count as signals about a page.

## How does link juice work?

The common model: a page carries some strength, and its links share it. The more links a page has, the less each one passes on. Secondary sources list the authority of the linking page, topical relevance, the number of links on the page and the link's position as influences. Google does not publish a formula, so exact amounts cannot be calculated. Google still lists PageRank as one of its core ranking systems and says its workings have changed a lot since launch.

The same idea is applied inside a site. Important pages that are linked from the navigation and from related content are better connected in the site's link graph.

## What do nofollow, sponsored and ugc do?

Google documents three `rel` values for outbound links: `sponsored` for paid placements, `ugc` for user-generated content such as comments and forum posts, and `nofollow` for cases where neither fits. Google says links marked this way will generally not be followed, though the target pages can still be found through other links or sitemaps. Google introduced `sponsored` and `ugc` next to `nofollow` in September 2019.

## Example

An article with many external backlinks links to three subpages. In the link juice model, the article passes part of its strength to those three pages. If the sidebar adds 30 more links, each link gets a smaller share.

## FAQ

**Does Google measure link juice?** No. The term is not a Google metric, and link checkers estimate values with their own scores.

**How can a page get more link juice?** Links from relevant, well-linked pages help, and so does a clear internal linking structure. No outcome is guaranteed.

*Diagram: How links pass on weight (simplified).* Simplified PageRank model: a page passes on its value in equal parts through its outgoing links, and many or strong incoming links lead to a high value. Circle sizes are illustrative, calculated with the 1998 formula. Google uses PageRank in an evolved form; its current weighting is not public.

## Related terms

- [PageRank](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/pagerank/index.md)
- [Internal linking](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/internal-linking/index.md)
- [nofollow](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/nofollow/index.md)
- [Backlink](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/backlink/index.md)
- [Link building](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/link-building/index.md)

## Sources

- [Qualify your outbound links to Google – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/qualify-outbound-links)
- [Evolving nofollow – Google Search Central Blog (Sept. 2019)](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2019/09/evolving-nofollow-new-ways-to-identify)
- [What is Link Juice? – Seobility (secondary source)](https://www.seobility.net/en/wiki/Link_Juice)
- [Ranking systems guide – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ranking-systems-guide)

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Last updated: October 8, 2026
URL: https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/link-equity/