In a report, ranking credit is the plain name for what a followed link can pass from your page to the one it points at. It is a way of talking about the effect of a link, not a number the tool measures. The related idea in search is link equity.
What the panel counts
The panel Ranking credit going to flagged links counts links. A link is counted when two things are true: it is followed, and the latest scan flags it, for example as parked, not registered, hidden, unsafe or broken. Each destination is counted once, however many pages link to it. The panel shows how many of your followed external links that is, as a number and as a share of all your followed links, with a breakdown by the kind of problem.
| The panel says | What it means |
|---|---|
| A count of links | Followed links to flagged destinations |
| A percentage | Their share of your followed external links |
| A breakdown | How many are parked, unregistered, out of context, broken or need review |
| Nothing for an older scan | How links were marked was not recorded, so no count is made |
What it does not say
It does not claim an amount of PageRank or any other unit. Search engines do not publish what a link is worth, and a figure in invented units would be a guess. The count sits beside the LinkSignal and is not part of it. LinkSignal is Link Signals’ own metric, based only on this tool’s findings, and it is not connected to any search engine or third-party score.
Common misunderstandings
- A bigger count is not a ranking penalty. It means more links that are worth fixing, or marking, first.
- A zero does not mean the links are good. It means none of the followed links were flagged in what was checked.
- Marking a link nofollow takes it out of the count, but does not make the destination safe for visitors.
Questions
How do I lower the count?
Fix or remove the flagged links, or mark the ones you keep with the right marker. See which rel should a link have.
Is it the same as link equity?
No. Link equity is a search idea with no published figure. The panel counts links and says so. The ranking credit page has the detail.
Run a scan and find where these show up on your own site.
