Link Equity
Link equity is the ranking value passed through a hyperlink, shaped by the linking page's own authority, its topical relevance and how many other links share that same page. Both internal and external links pass it, which is often overlooked.
Why it matters for your rankings
Link equity explains why some links move rankings and others do nothing. A link from a page with three outbound links passes far more than one from a page listing two hundred.
The overlooked half is internal. Authority arriving from external links flows onward through your internal links, and most sites waste it. It pools on blog posts that link nowhere commercially useful, or leaks through redirect chains and broken links that dissipate value at every hop. Redirects lose a little equity, chains lose more, and 404s lose all of it. Fixing internal link structure is free, entirely within your control, and usually produces faster ranking gains than a link building campaign.
How to check it on your site
Find where equity pools
Ahrefs Best by Links shows your highest-authority pages. Check whether they link onward to your commercial pages.
Eliminate redirect chains
Crawl the site and find URLs redirecting more than once. Point every internal link at the final destination directly.
Fix links into 404s
Any internal or external link to a dead URL is equity discarded. Redirect those URLs to relevant live pages.
Reduce outbound clutter
Pages with very high outbound link counts pass little through each one. Trim non-essential links on key pages.