Definition
Link juice is an SEO concept that describes the authority, trust, and popularity value that a web page transmits to another page via a hyperlink. This concept is directly tied to PageRank, Google's historic algorithm that evaluates a page's importance based on the links it receives. When a high-authority page A creates a dofollow link to page B, it passes a portion of its link juice to page B, strengthening its authority in Google's eyes. The amount of link juice transmitted depends on several factors: the source page's authority, the total number of outgoing links on that page (the juice is divided among all links), the topical relevance between the two pages, the link's position within the content, and the link attribute type (dofollow vs nofollow). Optimizing link juice flow within your own site through internal linking is a fundamental on-page SEO technique.
Key Points
- Link juice transferred depends on the source page's authority and number of outgoing links
- Dofollow links pass link juice while nofollow links theoretically do not
- Internal linking allows strategic distribution of link juice across your own site's pages
Practical Examples
High-authority page to target page
An article from a major newspaper (very high domain authority) contains a link to your site. This link passes considerable link juice because the newspaper has a very high PageRank and maximum trust with Google.
Link juice dilution
A page with 100 outgoing links passes much less link juice per link than a page with only 3 outgoing links. This is why links on pages with few external links have more SEO value.
Frequently Asked Questions
To maximize link juice, target backlinks from high-authority pages with few outgoing links, ensure links are dofollow and placed in the body content (not in footers or sidebars), favor links from topically related sites, and optimize your internal linking to efficiently distribute received link juice to your strategic pages.
301 (permanent) redirects pass the vast majority of link juice, with an estimated loss between 0 and 15% depending on the case. 302 (temporary) redirects also pass link juice but Google may treat them differently. It is recommended to use 301 redirects to retain maximum value and avoid multiple redirect chains that compound losses.
Go Further with LemmiLink
Discover how LemmiLink can help you put these SEO concepts into practice.
Last updated: 2026-02-07