What is link juice

We have raised the issue of link weight more than once when discussing backlinks. Today we will dive deeper into the topic and consider how link weight can help in website ranking, what role internal links play, what mistakes should be avoided and what methods will help to get to the TOP of search results.

Link Juice | What is Link Juice and Why is it Important for a Website



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1. What is Link Juice?

Link juice (sometimes also called link equity) is a slang term used by SEOs to describe and measure how much power/authority/value a link transfers to another site or page, strengthening it.



Each link has a certain value. This value (juice) can be distributed among different pages by linking them. The idea can be illustrated as a pyramid of wine glasses: if you pour too much liquid into the top glass, it will start to spread evenly among the containers on the next level, and so on.







2. How does Link Juice work?

Let's imagine that there content writing service



are two identical web resources. Site A has received one link from an external source, and site B has no links. All other things being equal, website A will rank higher because it has link juice transferred by the external site.



What happens if Site B also gets one link? The outcome will depend on the amount of power, or juice, that each link carries.



An example in the diagram below. Site A gets links from four sites, while B only gets links from two. Since A gets links from more sites, it will likely rank higher in search results than B. Disclaimer: Here we are assuming that the sites linking to A and B have equal authority.











But it is important to understand one more thing: if the sites linking to A also link to other sites, then their juice will be distributed evenly between all donor sites. If the sites linking to B link only to it, then the situation changes dramatically. In this case, site B will have a better chance of ranking better.



2.1 Link Juice, PageRank and Dofollow

PageRank was one of the metrics Google used to determine where pages should rank in search results. A high PageRank meant that the page had many backlinks from authoritative sites. A low PageRank meant that the page had fewer backlinks or many links from low-authority sites. Google's algorithms have changed, and PageRank is now just one of many ranking factors.



You could say that the term “link juice” is used to refer to how PageRank moves from one page to another through links. If you were to get a link from a page with high PageRank, you would automatically see your page ranking go up. So PageRank and link juice are closely related, but not the same thing as some still believe.



Another important point to remember is that link juice is transferred via dofollow links, which have a lot of SEO value. Nofollow links do not transfer link juice, although they should not be discounted either, as they still have their SEO value, diluting the link profile and indicating its organic nature.







2.2. Internal links

Search engines value the presence of both external (backlinks) and internal links on a web page. However, internal links are often neglected.



In fact, internal links should be taken care of no less than external ones. First of all, because they allow users to stay longer on the site, continuing to move from one page to another.



When it comes to link juice, linking pages to each other increases their value, so it becomes even more important to implement this strategy for internal site links. We will come back to this issue below.



3. How to get more link juice?

Since link juice is so important for a page's search ranking, optimizing your website's link profile is an essential part of SEO. This work can be divided into two parts:



Maximize existing link juice.

Getting more links.

We will consider below which methods to use.



3.1. Quality content ( Linkbait content )

One of the most effective ways to generate more links for your SEO is to create the most useful and high-quality content that is worth linking to. This is where the “skyscraper technique” that we have described in other materials comes in handy.



This tactic involves finding popular content in your niche that is already linked to by a sufficient number of sites and making it better:



Expand the topic. For example, if the material compares 10 services, review 20. Add additional details and examples.

Update the material. Supplement it with relevant information, forecasts for the future, new research, etc.

Make your content more attractive by adding visual elements, infographics, videos, tables.

3.2. Internal linking

Link Juice can be passed on within a site. If you have a page on your website that is performing particularly well (lots of visitors, long view time, good design, and lots of quality inbound links), it can pass link juice to a web page that is performing poorly.



To optimize internal links for a specific page, create a list of keywords and their LSI synonyms that are relevant to the page's content and other pages that are relevant to the content's topic. You can use the site: and intext: search operators to find such content.



Add links to your target page from the pages that appear first in search results. Ignore any pages that are irrelevant to the topic of the content you are pumping. Consider removing less relevant links from the pages you are siphoning juice from so that more link power goes to your target.



Don't use the same anchor text and the same keywords every time. Mix up your anchors with synonyms so Google doesn't think you're a spammer.



3.3. Work with a niche audience

After publishing quality content on your website, it would be right to share it with your audience. This can be done via email newsletters, posting on social networks or thematic groups, forums, etc. Make the content visible to your audience.



There is another way to work with your market, which is not very common in Ukraine - niche editing. The essence of the method: a link to your site is inserted into a piece of content on someone else's site. This practice is also called a contextual or curated link.



For example, you sell orbitreks on your website and you have a great article describing how they work, what muscle groups they are designed for, how to choose and use this equipment correctly. Then you find a blog of a fitness trainer who has developed a set of exercises that includes exercises on an orbitrek. You contact him and ask him to refer to your article in the text of his material, motivating it by the fact that his audience will benefit from learning more about how to choose the right fitness equipment.



This way, you get a backlink, traffic, and link juice flowing to your page. The main thing is to monitor the quality of the resources you access so that they are authoritative and not spammed with outgoing links.



3.4 Guest Posting

Guest blogging can be compared to a concert where a little-known band opens for a mega-popular one. The little-known band is your site, and the venue for the performance is a popular resource in your niche.



Here are some secrets to quality guest posting:



Choose an authoritative resource that has its own organic audience, and even better, an audience on social networks.

Create high-quality unique content. Important: do not duplicate existing posts on your site as guest posts, this will not bring any benefit.

In your guest post, include a link to the landing page of your site that you want to boost. Don't include a link to the home page - it's not very effective.