Internal Link Equity Calculator
Depth costs geometrically, not linearly.
Depth costs geometrically, not linearly. How link value thins out with click depth, using a simplified PageRank flow.
Navigation, breadcrumbs and in-content links combined
The share of a page's value that flows onward — 0.85 is the classic PageRank figure
Homepage equity against the deepest pages
25,443×
3 levels deep at 25 links a page
The absolute numbers here mean nothing — this is a simplified flow model, not a ranking prediction, and no external tool can see the real algorithm. The ratio is the point. Each additional click of depth divides a page's share by roughly the number of links on the page above it, so depth costs geometrically rather than linearly. A page five clicks from the homepage on a site with 25 links a page receives a vanishing fraction of what the homepage holds, which is why flattening a structure usually outperforms adding links to a deep page. Damping at 0.85 is the figure from the original PageRank paper and it remains a reasonable default.
How the Internal Link Equity Calculator works
How link value thins out with click depth, using a simplified PageRank flow. The absolute numbers mean nothing and the ratio between the top and the bottom of the site is the point — it is usually far worse than people expect.
Also known as: link equity · link juice · pagerank · internal linking · click depth · site depth · orphan pages · link dilution · site architecture seo · hub pages · damping factor
Depth costs geometrically
Each page passes a damped share of what it holds, divided between its outbound links. On a site with 25 links a page and the classic 0.85 damping factor, each link carries about 3.4% of what the linking page has.
Apply that twice and a page two clicks down holds about 0.12% of the homepage's value. Three clicks down it is 0.004%. The decline is geometric, not linear, which is why the guidance about keeping important pages within three clicks exists at all.
The absolute figures are meaningless — this is a simplified flow model and no external tool can see the real algorithm. It is also deliberately a worst case, since each page here receives from a single parent where real sites link to a page from many places. The ratio between top and bottom is the output worth reading.
Flatter is not automatically better
The intuitive fix for depth is to flatten the site, and it is only half right. What costs equity is the total number of link slots on the path, not the number of hops.
Two hundred links over two hops dilutes more per page than twenty-five links over three: 0.85/200 squared is smaller than 0.85/25 cubed. A wide, shallow site can starve its pages more thoroughly than a narrow, deep one.
The genuine lever is fewer links on the pages that matter and shorter paths to the pages that matter — which usually means hub pages that collect a related set, rather than mega-navigation that links to everything from everywhere.
Orphans, and why nofollow does not sculpt
A page with no internal links receives nothing and is discovered late if at all. Orphan pages are one of the most common causes of unindexed content on otherwise healthy sites, and they are trivially findable by comparing a crawl against a sitemap.
Sculpting internal equity by marking some links nofollow stopped working many years ago. The share is deducted whether or not the link passes it, so the practice loses equity rather than redirecting it to the pages you preferred.
The approaches that do work are unglamorous: link to important pages from pages that hold a lot, keep paths short, remove links that serve nobody, and make sure everything worth ranking is reachable. A single link from a strong page beats several from weak ones, exactly as with external links.
Where to go next
The Internal Link Equity question rarely arrives on its own. These are the ones that usually come with it:
- Crawl Budget Calculator — Below ten thousand pages it is not your problem.
- Indexation Rate Calculator — Not crawled and crawled-then-declined are different problems.
- Backlink Value Calculator — Referral traffic is real value that link discussions ignore.
- Ring Size Calculator — Finger measurement to US, UK, EU and Japanese sizes.
Frequently asked questions
What is link equity?
The ranking value a page passes through its links. Each page passes a damped share of what it holds, split between its outbound links, so a page with many links passes less through each one.
How much does click depth matter?
Geometrically. Each level divides a page's share by roughly the number of links on the page above it, so a page five clicks deep on a site with 25 links a page receives a vanishing fraction of what the homepage holds.
Is a flatter site always better?
No, and this is the finding that surprises people. What costs equity is the total link slots on the path, not the hop count — 200 links over two hops dilutes more per page than 25 links over three.
What is the damping factor?
The share of a page's value that flows onward rather than being retained, set at 0.85 in the original PageRank paper. It remains a reasonable default and it is an input here because nobody outside the search engines knows the real figure.
How many internal links should a page have?
Enough to be useful and few enough that each carries weight. The old hard limit is long gone; the trade is real, since doubling the links halves what each one passes.
How do I get equity to important deep pages?
Link to them directly from pages that hold a lot — the homepage, major hubs, high-traffic articles. A single link from a strong page beats several from weak ones, exactly as with external links.
Put this calculator on your own site
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