Backlink juice is an SEO term that describes the authority and ranking value passed from one website to another through backlinks. When a website links to your page, part of its authority flows to your site, helping improve visibility and rankings in search results.
Backlink juice is closely related to concepts like link equity and PageRank and explains why some backlinks are far more valuable than others.
Search engines such as Google use backlinks as signals of trust relevance and authority, making backlink juice a critical part of SEO.
How Backlink Juice Works
Backlink juice flows from the linking page to the linked page based on several factors:
- Authority and trust of the linking website
- Relevance between the two pages
- Placement of the backlink within the content
- Number of outbound links on the source page
- Link type such as dofollow or nofollow
A single backlink from a strong authoritative and relevant website can pass more backlink juice than dozens of low quality links.
Why Backlink Juice Matters for SEO
Backlink juice matters because it helps:
- Improve keyword rankings
- Increase page and domain authority
- Speed up indexing of new content
- Strengthen important pages
- Build long term organic traffic
Pages that receive more high quality backlink juice generally outperform pages with fewer or weaker backlinks.
Dofollow vs Nofollow Backlink Juice
- Dofollow backlinks pass backlink juice by default
- Nofollow backlinks usually do not pass backlink juice
While nofollow links may still provide referral traffic and brand exposure, dofollow backlinks are the main source of backlink juice that influences rankings.
Backlink Juice vs Internal Link Juice
Backlink juice comes from external websites linking to your site.
Internal link juice flows between pages within your own website.
Backlink juice helps build overall authority while internal link juice helps distribute that authority to important pages.
Both are essential for a balanced SEO strategy.
Examples of Backlink Juice in Action
- A news website links to a blog post and boosts its rankings
- A high authority industry site links to a product page improving visibility
- A homepage earns backlinks and passes juice to service pages
- Removing toxic backlinks improves overall link quality
Each example shows how backlink juice directly influences SEO performance.
How to Increase Backlink Juice
- Earn backlinks from authoritative relevant websites
- Publish original research guides or tools
- Use digital PR and outreach
- Build relationships in your industry
- Avoid spammy link building tactics
- Monitor and clean up toxic backlinks
Quality always matters more than quantity.
Common Backlink Juice Mistakes
- Chasing low quality backlinks
- Buying links from spam networks
- Over optimizing anchor text
- Ignoring relevance
- Failing to distribute juice internally
These mistakes can reduce or neutralize backlink juice benefits.
Backlink Juice and PageRank
Backlink juice is a simplified way to explain how PageRank, Google’s original link based algorithm, distributes authority across the web. Although PageRank is no longer publicly visible, backlink juice still reflects how ranking value flows through links today.