• Enhancing Link Equity Distribution: 3 Effective Strategies
• Optimizing Link Equity: Capture Missed Opportunities with These 3 Tips
• Maximize Your Link Equity Distribution with These 3 Methods

In the SEO community, link building is a frequently discussed topic, often considered a time-consuming and tedious process. As the standards for web content quality continue to rise, link building has become more challenging than ever.

However, there’s a notable lack of discussion on how to maximize the potential of the links already present on a website. The focus seems to be on acquiring more links without fully understanding how existing link equity is currently being utilized. While acquiring more links can enhance website rankings, the effort might be wasted if only a small portion of the equity is being harnessed.

For many websites, improving the link equity already in place presents a significant opportunity. The best aspect of this approach is that it can be addressed internally, unlike link building, which often requires third-party involvement. Here are some effective strategies for reclaiming lost link value.

### 1. Redirect Old URL Paths

On many client websites, I frequently encounter discontinued product pages that have not been redirected or entire iterations of old websites with URLs that return 404 errors. Ignoring these broken pages results in wasted link equity.

Identifying old URL paths and implementing 301 redirects can greatly enhance search engine visibility. In a single move, hundreds or even thousands of links pointing to your domain can be reactivated.

The challenge then becomes discovering these old URLs. Various methods can be employed based on available resources. Sometimes, clients may have recently migrated their old websites to a staging site. If you have access to this, configure a tool like Screaming Frog to crawl the staging environment, potentially bypassing robots.txt restrictions and crawling nofollow links. After crawling, export the data to a spreadsheet and use Find/Replace to substitute the staging domain with the root domain to compile a comprehensive list of old URL paths.

If no resources are available to list old URLs, I utilize a combination of Ahrefs, Google Analytics, and Google Search Console to identify them. First, using Ahrefs, I input the domain and generate a “Best Pages By Links” report. Export the entire report, as it’s crucial to consider all URLs, not just those identified as 404 errors. Ahrefs might indicate a URL as a 301 that actually redirects to a 404.

Following the Ahrefs report, use Screaming Frog in “List Mode” to analyze the URLs and add any 404 errors to a master Excel document. Next, access Google Analytics and generate a “Landing Pages” report. Export this data and use Excel’s CONCATENATE function to append domain names to relative URL paths. Run this list through Screaming Frog to identify additional 404 errors.

Finally, access Google Search Console and review the “Crawl Errors” report under the “Not Found” tab. Export these URLs and verify 404 status codes using Screaming Frog, adding these to your master document.

Organize all potential broken URLs into a single spreadsheet, de-duplicate, and use Screaming Frog again to filter 404 status codes. Consider using the Ahrefs API to connect with Screaming Frog for link metrics associated with each page, helping prioritize redirections based on the number of linking root domains.

After compiling the final list of 404 errors, determine destination pages for redirects using tools like MergeWords and the OpenList Chrome extension.

### 2. Analyze the .htaccess File

Understanding how your website distributes link equity involves examining global redirects. The .htaccess file plays a significant role in this process as it contains directives for redirect rules.

When using tools like Ahrefs, noticing common redirect patterns suggests these are defined in the .htaccess file. Issues such as improper 302 redirects instead of 301, unnecessary redirect chains, or missing rules often arise. Common mistakes include 302 redirecting HTTP URLs to HTTPS instead of using a 301 redirect.

Each case differs, but frequently checked .htaccess rules include:

– “HTTP” to “HTTPS” conversions
– Non-WWW to WWW redirections
– URL capitalization rules
– Trailing slash rules

Reviewing and optimizing the .htaccess file can greatly enhance your website’s linking efficiency. If similar issues are detected, consult with developers to implement the necessary corrections.

### 3. Fix Internal 301 Redirects

Once external link equity is maximized, ensuring internal link efficiency becomes the next step. Websites with numerous internal 301 redirects might not be transferring as much link equity to deeper pages. Although Google states no link equity is lost in 3xx redirects, it’s better to ensure full link value passes internally without relying on this claim.

To identify internal 301 redirects, utilize Screaming Frog in “Spider Mode” on the website. Screaming Frog captures instances of 301 redirects in a “Redirection (3xx)” report. Sort by “Inlinks” to prioritize addressing the most problematic pages.

These often occur in critical areas such as primary or secondary navigation, footers, or sidebars. By addressing these, a substantial number of internal 301 redirects can be resolved. It’s advisable to start with these locations while aiming to fix as many redirects as possible.

### Final Thoughts

In my experience as an SEO professional, I have observed that webmasters often unintentionally dilute link equity due to decisions like site migrations and previous URL redirects.

While ideally, link equity should be considered during such implementations, this isn’t always the case. The outlined steps provide a solid foundation for reclaiming and optimizing your website’s link equity.