Internal link equity refers to value that can be transferred between pages via internal links. An internal link between two pages on the same website is capable of transferring ranking signals from the source page to the destination page. As a result, there can be a distribution of value between pages, rather than the presence of it only in the places where it originated.
It is a useful concept, but internal link equity should not be regarded as a fixed quantity that can be passed from Page A to Page B.
Internal Links Can Transfer Value Between Pages
Let’s imagine that there is some signal value in Page A that makes this page valuable within the website.
If Page A links internally to Page B, then there can be value transfer to Page B.
Page A will be the source page, and Page B the destination page.
It shows that there is some difference between a source page and a destination page in the context of internal link equity.
The source page can provide an internal connection that enables value to flow, and the destination page can get value through this connection.
The source page does not give up its whole value when it links to something else. Also, the destination page does not automatically inherit all value from the source page. The internal link creates a connection, and some value can flow through it.
Pages Can Get Value From Multiple Internal Sources
Real websites are usually more complicated than just two pages with one connection.
Page B can be linked to by Pages A, C, and D, and these source pages can be connected to other pages, having different signals.
It becomes a network rather than a process of transferring value from one page to another.
A destination page can be located on multiple internal connecting lines, and there can be multiple pages that are the sources of internal link equity. Also, all pages have their position within the website and can get value from different sources.
So, it is closer to reality.
Internal Link Equity Is Not a Fixed Number per Link
It can be assumed that each page holds some value and that each internal link transfers a certain percentage of it.
But it is too restrictive.
There are many link-based ranking algorithms, such as the famous PageRank. But it does not mean that website owners have a simple formula that calculates how much ranking value is transferred via a particular internal link.
The practical internal link equity concept is less restrictive and allows the description of value distribution via internal links without stating that each internal link transfers an equal percentage of value that can be easily calculated.
A link from source Page A and a link from source Page B should not be regarded as equivalent value transfers.
The Source and Destination Are Part of the Greater Network
Looking at an internal link in isolation, the source of its value is lost.
The source page can be linked to by other pages. The source page can link to several destination pages, and these destination pages can link further to other pages.
As a result, we see a network of pages that can get and distribute value.
This is also the reason why internal link equity should not be measured by the amount of value that passes through one isolated internal link. The link always occurs in the greater network of page relationships.
There can be multiple sources for the destination page in the same way as the source page can get value from different sources.
Internal Links Maintain Value Flow Within the Website
There is a good way to understand internal link equity: it is value distribution, not possession.
Pages have different value signals and different locations within the website. There are internal links that create paths through which some value can flow to other pages.
One source can link to several destinations. One destination can get links from several sources, and these destinations can become sources for additional pages.
The result is not a series of fixed transactions. It is a network through which link-based value can move.
This is the idea of the internal link equity concept: internal links not only connect pages for navigation purposes. They also create paths through which value can be distributed between pages on the same website.
