Link juice, also known as link equity, refers to the value or authority that is passed from one web page to another through hyperlinks.
In the context of SEO, link juice is a metaphor for the SEO power or ranking potential that a web page can pass to other pages through outbound links.
How link juice relates to SEO:
- PageRank distribution: When a web page links to another page, it passes a portion of its PageRank (Google's original algorithm for determining a page's importance) to the linked page. Pages with more link juice are considered more authoritative and tend to rank higher in search results.
- Internal linking: Websites can strategically distribute link juice among their own pages through internal linking. By linking from high-authority pages to important or targeted pages, webmasters can boost the SEO value of those pages.
- External linking: When a website links to an external page it passes some of its link juice to that page, if the link is a dofollow link. Acquiring high-quality, relevant external links is a key factor in improving a website's search engine rankings.
- Link quality: The value of link juice depends on the quality and relevance of the linking page. Links from authoritative, relevant websites in the same niche are more valuable than links from low-quality or irrelevant websites.
- Nofollow links: Links with the “rel=nofollow” attribute do not pass link juice to the linked page. This attribute is often used for sponsored or user-generated content to prevent passing undue authority to those pages.
- Link decay: The further away a page is from the home page or authoritative pages, the less link juice it receives. This concept is known as link decay or PageRank dilution, emphasizing the importance of a shallow website architecture.
By understanding the concept of link juice and its impact on SEO, webmasters can develop effective linking strategies to improve their website's search engine rankings and visibility.
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