Link Juice in SEO: 10 Factors That Affect Link Juice

Off-page SEO is a bit complex and an ongoing process.

There are so many misperceptions about various off-page SEO terms.

Whenever we talk about SEO, one term that often comes into discussions is "link juice”.

Even a few SEO experts lack complete knowledge, they believe in building all types of backlinks.

Now, the majority of such types don't work!

So let's discuss the concept in this article.

You might be thinking about what link juice is, and why it matters for your Google search rankings.

In this comprehensive guide, I’ll break down everything you need to know about backlink juice.

I will discuss how it impacts your rankings and the key factors that influence its flow.

I have written every aspect of the SEO link juice game in this article and it will make the concept easier for both expert marketers and people who just started their link-building journey.

What Is Link Juice in SEO?

Link juice, which is also known as backlink juice or link equity SEO, is the kind of authority passed from one webpage to another through a backlink.

It works similarly to a vote of confidence that provides authority to a person.

Or simply a reference one website/webpage gives to another website/webpage!

In the website’s case, this link provides authority from a highly ranked website to a low-ranked website.

It helps to boost the authority of that low-ranked website and helps it to grow and build its own authority. 

This "juice" helps to increase the authority and relevance of your page in the eyes of Google. When Google is satisfied with the authority of your website, it ultimately boosts your search engine rankings.

However, all backlinks are not equal.

There are link building metrics that affect the amount of link juice passed to your site, which we’ll explore in detail here.

Top 10 Factors That Affect Link Juice

Here are a few main factors that influence the link juice both in positive and negative manners. Let’s have an in-depth clarification to find out how these factors decide how much link juice flows from one site to another:

1. Domain Authority and Domain Rating

When You link a high-authority website to your own website, it transfers more and more link juice.

If we compare it to a low-authority site, it transfers a relatively low juice to your website which might not benefit your website.

Google mainly trusts websites with strong domain authority (DA) or domain rating (DR).

It means these kinds of website links hold more SEO value in the eyes of Google.

Let’s take an example:

• A backlink from Forbes or BBC will carry far more weight for Repute Post than one from a newly launched personal blog.
• The reason is that these high-DA websites have built themselves over time. They got their reputation with quality content, strong backlink profiles, and trustworthiness.

Pro Tip: You should focus on getting backlinks from only reputable websites that are relevant to your website’s niche.You can also use tools like Ahrefs or Moz to check the DA or DR of the website you want to link with before actually linking them.

2. Relevance of the Linking Page

Relevance is the main factor when it comes to ranking any website or page.

It specifies what a page is about and where it will rank among various pages. 

A backlink from a website in your relevant niche passes far more SEO link juice.

On the other hand, there will be less SEO Link juice from an irrelevant source.

Let’s take an example:

If you have a fitness blog, getting a backlink from a well-known health and wellness website like Healthline or WebMD will increase your website’s authority and credibility. 

On the other hand, if you get a link from a tech site, like TechCrunch, will not benefit your fitness site in a more good manner for SEO.

Even if it is high in DA.

Pro Tip: You should only Target link-building opportunities in your industry. There are numerous ways to build relevant links like guest posting, collaborating, or networking with niche-relevant blogs. Relevance is something that boosts the value of backlink juice. Simply visit the guest posting marketplace and find relevant websites to your niche for building authoritative backlinks!

3. Anchor Text

The anchor text has a great value which often gets neglected in the field of SEO.

It is the clickable part of a hyperlink. 

ou can use it to signal Google what your page is about.

When you write relevant and descriptive anchor text, it automatically ensures that your content reaches the targeted users and most importantly the search engines.

Example of Good Anchor Text:
If your page is about the best protein powders then your backlink with the anchor text should look like this "Top protein powders for athletes". It will automatically tell Google exactly what the linked page is about.

Example of Poor Anchor Text:
On the other hand, if you use generic terms like "click here" or "read more", it will not provide any meaningful context to the users as well as search engines.

Pro Tip: 

You should use natural anchor text that is also rich in keywords. This will optimize your backlinks without making them appear spammy or forced keywords. Moreover, you should Avoid over-optimization because Google penalizes those websites that follow manipulative anchor text practices.

4. Follow vs. NoFollow Links

It is extremely important to understand the difference between follow and no-follow links before using them for SEO purposes.

In my previous guides I discussed why building backlinks on forums and blog commenting for SEO doesn't work.

The reason? NoFollow and UGC attributes!

• Follow links are links that pass SEO juice to your website. They help to boost rankings directly.
• No-follow links, being the opposite term, don’t pass SEO juice. However, they are still valuable for referral traffic. They are not useless, instead they boost brand visibility, and create a profile with natural backlinks.

Let’s take an example:

You might notice a no-follow attribute in the sponsored post or a comment on the blog. These kinds of backlinks usually signal Google not to pass link equity.

Pro Tip: You should always choose a balanced mix of follow and no-follow links in your link-building strategy. This is important because search engines like diverse backlink profiles.

5. Placement of the Backlink

The next factor that affects the link juice’s benefit is the Placement.

It is necessary to keep track of where you are placing the backlink.

This step determines how much link equity a particular backlink passes.

Here are the Key Placements:

• Main Content Area: If you place the links within the article’s body text, it will carry the most value. The reason is that they are relevant and integrated with the content.
• Footer or Sidebar: If you place the links in the footer or siders, they are often seen as less important by Google. Eventually, they pass less SEO value because they are not important to Google.

Let’s take an example:
If you embed a backlink in a detailed blog post about "top travel destinations", it will be more valuable. On the other hand, if you place it into a footer saying "Sponsored by XYZ Company", it will not get enough attention from search engines.

Pro Tip: You should Prioritize backlinks placements. They need to be placed naturally within the main content for maximum impact.

6. Number of Outbound Links

If you link too many external websites to your website, you will actually dilute the SEO link juice.

In other words, each link will get a smaller share of the page’s authority and does not contribute on a bigger level.

Let’s take an example:
Suppose you have a web page with 100 outbound links. There will be far less link equity each link receives. On the other hand, if the webpage has 5 outbound links, they will have more link equity.

Pro Tip: You should always choose backlinks from pages with a manageable number of outbound links. It helps to make sure that your website gets the proper benefit of the SEO juice. Similarly, the page with more organic visitors further increases the value of your backlink. This is why niche edits are so powerful. Repute post help you build and buy niche edit links so that your website could rank higher in the SERPs.

7. Internal Linking

Internal links are the easiest and yet important factor in SEO as well as link juice.

In order to control how link juice flows, you will need to connect different pages that exist within your website.

It helps to increase the ranking of priority pages.

Let’s take an example:
If you have a high-performing blog post with several quality backlinks, you can link them up. Simply by adding internal links from that page to your product or service pages can transfer some of that authority.

Pro Tip: You should use relevant internal links only that have anchor texts based on rich keywords. Moreover, you must be high-quality pages to pages you want to rank higher in Google search rankings.

8. External Links and Their Quality

External links come in various qualities and not all of them help in link juice benefits.

An external link from a high-quality website with a strong reputation contains more backlink juice.

On the other hand, an external link from a low-quality or spammy site contains less backlink juice.

Examples of High-Quality Links:

• It can be a link from reputable news websites like The New York Times.
• It can be a link from an authoritative industry blog.

Examples of Low-Quality Links:

• These links can come from spammy directories or link farms.
• These links can come from sites with toxic backlinks in their profiles.

Pro Tip: you should regularly audit your site’s backlinks using tools like Google Search Console or SEMrush.

In this way, you can easily get rid of any toxic backlinks that could harm the reputation of your site.

9. Page Load Speed

Page load speed matters the most when we talk about SEO.

Just like our own website, it is also necessary to check the speed of the linking webpage.

The page speed of that website can determine the efficiency of link juice flow.

We all know that Google loves websites that load faster.

So, backlinks from these pages are more likely to transfer value.

Let’s take an example:
If you take a link from a high-speed blog post hosted on a reputable site, it will be more helpful. On the other hand, if you take it from a slow, spammy, and poorly optimized page, it won’t help you with the ranking.

Pro Tip: You should always check the load speed of the linking page. You can do this simply by using tools like PageSpeed Insights before getting the backlinks.

10. Content Quality

The quality of the content matters in all websites but it mainly affects the flow of SEO link juice.

The backlink hosting site must have quality content for the passing of link juice.

Google always prefers sites with high-quality, informative, and engaging content.

This is probably why editorial backlinks are considered as the most powerful.

Such backlinks come from strong websites with content coming from topic-level specialists.

It will ultimately rank the linked website if the content is rich in quality. 

Let’s take an example:
A link from a high-quality and factual data article regarding the SEO strategies is far more valuable. On the other hand, the website link with a 200-word generic post can never benefit your website through the link juice process.

Pro Tip: You should always get backlinks from pages with well-researched and high-quality content. They must follow a good structure and uniqueness. You can check the quality of content through different online tools.

Why Is Link Juice Important?

Link juice is one of the top processes in SEO that determine your domain authority and overall visibility in Google and other search engines. Here’s why it’s so important:

1. Boosts Rankings: More SEO link juice means higher chances of ranking on the first page of Google.
2. Improves Domain Authority: A consistent and smooth flow of quality backlinks increases the credibility and trustworthiness of your website.
3. Helps Crawlers: Google’s bots read the backlinks to navigate and index content across the web. A perfect link juice is going to help them prioritize your pages.

Conclusion

Link building isn’t easy at all. A good SEO specialist will always look at trends, niche, and tactics used for ranking higher.

Link juice is not as ordinary as we all thought being SEO experts. It holds the essence of the success of our off-page SEO. However, we can say that by understanding the above-given factors. You can easily detect how the flow of backlink juice is affecting your page’s SEO. You can enhance your Google search rankings and build a stronger online presence just by implementing the explained factors and tips in every subheading.

Always keep in mind that it’s not just about acquiring backlinks, it’s about getting the right backlinks from the right places. You just need to Combine quality content, strategic link-building, and consistent monitoring to make the most of your SEO link juice. If you run an SEO agency or a part, try our white label link building services. We provide a one-stop solution so that you can help your clients with their SEO goals.

Now it’s your turn. Start optimizing your backlinks today and watch your rankings soar!