Why it matters to a buyer
Link equity explains why not every backlink is worth the same amount, and why internal linking decisions carry real weight even without a single new external link: a relevant link from a page that itself has authority passes on more value than a link from an unrelated, low-authority page, and a page with no incoming links, internal or external, gets none of this benefit at all. A buyer should treat link-building pitches that count links without weighing their source with real scepticism.
How it is measured or applied
Equity is understood in practice rather than measured directly: it flows through followed links, is diluted across every link on a page, so a page linking out to a hundred places passes less to each than one linking to five, and is influenced by the topical relevance between the linking and linked page, not only raw authority. Applying it means prioritising internal links from a site's strongest, most-linked pages toward newer or important ones, and evaluating link-building opportunities by the linking page's own authority and topical fit, not by domain size alone.
Sources
- What Is Link Equity?, Ahrefs
