Link juice or link equity is a non-technical term in SEO that refers to the SEO value of a link or hyperlink that is forwarded or transferred from a web page or website to another web page or website. Search engines such as Google and others consider a link to be a vote by a web page or website for another web page or website.
Even though link juice is often associated with backlinks, namely links or hyperlinks on other websites that lead to your website, link juice also occurs in internal links and external links with the same direction of transfer of link juice.
In SEO, link juice is a very important factor in influencing the ranking position of a web page or website in search engine search results (SERP).
How does link juice work in SEO?
Link juice or link equity is the SEO value of a link that is forwarded or transferred from the web page or website where the link is located to another web page or website to which the link leads. For example, if the link on web page A leads to web page B, then the link juice will be forwarded or transferred from website page A to website page B.
Link juice also depends on the number and quality of links. The more and better quality links that lead to a web page, the more link juice the web page will receive.
For example, web page A receives 3 quality links from 3 websites, while web page B receives 2 quality links from 2 websites, then web page A receives more link juice than web page B and web page A will rank better in SERP.
DoFollow and NoFollow in link juice
DoFollow and NoFollow are rel attribute values that can be included in a link. By default, all links are DoFollow unless you add the rel="nofollow" attribute to the link. A link can only transfer or forward link juice if the link DoFollow. NoFollow links cannot transfer or forward link juice.
If a web page receives a NoFollow link from a website that has high authority and relevant content, the web page will not receive the transfer of link juice. NoFollow Links does not contribute anything related to link juice. One way to get backlinks is to comment on other blogs, but most blog commenting systems are set to NoFollow. If so, the web page only receives traffic when the link is clicked, but there is no transfer of link juice.
For example, each website forwards or transfers the same amount of link juice. You have two websites. Web page A receives DoFollow links from 3 websites, web page B receives DoFollow links from 2 websites and 1 NoFollow link from a website. Even though they both receive links from 3 websites, web page A receives more link juice and is ranked higher in SERPs compared to web page B.
How to get backlinks?
There are several ways to get links from other websites (backlinks) both directly and indirectly. The direct method is often called link building, for example commenting on other websites, guest blogging, broken link building and so on.
An indirect way is to create quality content so that many readers willingly share it on the web. The more quality backlinks you get, the more link juice you receive. The strategies that you can apply to get quality backlinks are as follows:
a. Create unique, original, complete and solution content
By creating unique, original, complete and solution content, the credibility of your blog will increase because the content is in demand and read by blog visitors. Visitors who are satisfied with your content will not hesitate to share the article on their social media platforms.
Apart from that, by creating quality content it is possible that the content can be used as a reference and source of ideas for other people to write similar content. This strategy makes your chances of getting backlinks even greater.
Other people will think about including your blog link in their articles because they think the content might be useful to readers as a comparison or complement to the article. The backlinks they provide can also be considered appreciation for your efforts to create valuable and quality content.
b. Become a guest writer (guest blogging)
Becoming a guest writer or guest blogging is an effective way to attract new audiences and readers. Many popular sites open up opportunities for guest writers to publish articles. Of course, provided that it meets the standards set by the site in question.
By publishing articles or writings on popular websites, your writing will be seen by readers of that site. You can use this opportunity to insert links or links that are relevant to the topic of the article, including by directing to your blog page.
Make sure the link listed is still appropriate to the topic being discussed. For example, if you write about "blogging tips for beginners", include a link to an article on your blog that has a similar topic. This will encourage readers to explore the links listed and bring in new visitor traffic. Apart from that, the link or links will become free backlinks which will strengthen your blog's reputation.
c. Build Links Through Listicle Content
Listicle content is content that lists a number of products or brands arranged in a list as reviews or recommendations. How to get quality backlinks through listicle content can be started by looking for content that does not include your website.
Use Google search operators to narrow search results based on specific targets by adding a minus symbol (-) to exclude your brand from the results.
For example, if you type “website design inspiration – Behance”, Google will display all results that do not include Behance in the list. After that, contact the content creator and ask them to include your website in their list. Provide promising and rational reasons why your brand deserves to be included.
d. Actively Participate in Forums
You can also join discussion forums to get quality backlinks. This strategy not only helps build your reputation as an expert, but also increases targeted traffic to your website.
So, you can start by finding relevant forums in your niche that offer dofollow backlinks. Or, check competitor websites to find out which forums link to their website:
- Open Ahrefs Site Explorer and enter the competitor's website.
- In the Backlinks Profile section, click Backlinks.
- Select Dofollow.
- Enter “forum” in the search.
- Select the Domain name filter, then click Show Results.
After this tool displays the results, create an account on the forum website and start being active there. Include a link to your website in the signature, and if possible, put contextual links to your pages related to the topics discussed.
Apart from that, you can be active on popular question and answer platforms like Quora. Despite using nofollow links, these discussion websites help showcase your knowledge and expertise to a wider audience.
How to measure link juice?
There are metrics that can be used to measure the link juice of your website or other websites. Google PageRank is an algorithm that can be used to measure link juice. However, Google PageRank is no longer available to the public and is only used internally at Google.
Several SEO tools try to recreate the PageRank algorithm based on incoming links (backlinks), one of which is PageRank Checker.
Apart from PageRank, there are several other SEO tools that can also be used to measure link juice. The SEO tool releases its own link juice data which can be used as a measurement.
In SEO, this SEO tool is important, recognized and capable of presenting accurate numbers. Some of these SEO tools are Moz Domain Authority (DA), and Majestic Trush Flow (TF). You can visit the link provided to find out more about the SEO tool.
How to check link juice?
To find out the quality of the links your site has, you can use tools, both paid and free. Some popular tools include SEMRush, MOZ, Google Analytics, Ahrefs, or even Yoast. This tool will help you see page and domain authority and how authoritative the embedded link is. Some metrics that can assess the quality of a link include:
- Domain Authority: MOZ's proprietary metric that provides a “value” of 0 to 100 that approximates a site's authority. 100 is the best value.
- Referring Domains: The number of domains linking to your site
- Domain Age: The date when the page was first displayed. Although it does not determine the value of a link, the older a domain is, the better it is.
How to Use Link Juice to Improve SEO
1. Get Outside Links
Getting backlinks from sites that have high authority is a blessing. This is because it can improve ranking in search engines. The way to get quality backlinks can be by creating relevant and quality content. However, now you can also ask for help from website backlink service providers to find quality backlinks.
2. Use Internal Links
Link juice in SEO can also be created from a good internal link structure. Link between pages and other pages that are still relevant. There is no limit to the number of internal links on one page. But, as a suggestion, only use as needed.
3. Take Advantage of SEO Services
There are several companies that specialize in providing SEO services. Yes, this could be an alternative step that you can take. Generally, companies that provide this service are companies that are truly skilled in the world of SEO. However, don't just choose. You must be careful in choosing a professional SEO service provider.
Conclusion
Remember that link juice is important because it is really a way to measure how people discuss your content, website and brand. And what is clear, link juice is very important for Google rankings. But it's also a great way to build a brand image, build your reputation, and establish yourself as a resource in your niche market.
Of the many ways to get link juice. The process of creating backlinks is the most difficult way. Because, you have to really reach people out there. Who may have a high level of busyness. That is, to attract their attention to flow link juice to your web page, it is a task that is very close to failure.