A site’s external LinkSignal is a score out of 100 for its outbound (external) links, and for the link-related health of the site itself, right now. The ranking credit panel sits beside that score in a report, but it is a different kind of measure. It is not a row of points. It counts links.
The panel uses only this tool’s own findings and how each link is marked on the page. It is not linked to any search engine or third-party score, and it is not an estimate of anything a search engine holds.
What this measures
A followed link can pass credit to the site it points at. When that site is flagged (parked, not registered, hidden, unsafe, broken or simply flagged for review) the credit goes somewhere you would not choose. The panel, headed Ranking credit going to flagged links, answers one question: how many of your followed external links point at a flagged destination, and what share of all your followed links is that?
It counts links, and it does not claim a quantity of PageRank. Search engines do not publish what a link is worth, so any figure in made-up units would be a guess. A count and a share can be checked by hand.
How it is counted
- A link is counted when it is flagged and followed. Followed means it was read and carries no nofollow, sponsored or ugc marker.
- Links marked nofollow, sponsored or ugc are not counted, because they do not pass credit. See which rel should a link have.
- A link whose marker was never recorded, as on an older saved report, is not treated as followed. The panel says nothing rather than something untrue.
- Each destination is counted once, however many of your pages link to it.
- The share is the counted links divided by all followed external links, shown to one decimal place.
| Link | Flagged? | Marker | Counted in the panel? | Costs LinkSignal points? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parked page | Yes | None (followed) | Yes | Yes |
| Parked page | Yes | nofollow | No | Yes |
| Clean link | No | None (followed) | No, but it is in the total | No |
A worked example
A scan finds 6 flagged links. Four are followed: a parked page, an unregistered domain, a broken link and an unsafe site. Two are marked, one nofollow and one sponsored. The scan read 40 followed external links in all. The panel shows 4 of your 40 followed external links, which is 10%. The two marked links are left out.
The same 6 links all cost points in LinkSignal, whatever their markers, and the site scores 81 (Good). The score and the panel are made from the same flagged links, so fixing a link improves both. Marking a link nofollow improves only the panel.
How it appears in your report
- The panel is headed Ranking credit going to flagged links, with the count, the total of followed external links and the percentage, and a short list of kinds, such as how many point to a parked page or are broken.
- On a rescan, it shows how the count moved since the original scan.
- The Show these links button opens the Findings view called “Credit going to flagged links”, which is the exact list behind the number.
- The Passing credit tab is narrower. It lists followed links that are not safe, need review, or point to a domain that is unregistered or expired, so it is where to start. The wider view includes the others.
- When nothing is flagged, the panel reads “None of your 25 followed external links pass credit to a flagged destination”.
What to do
- Open the list behind the numberUse Show these links, or start with the Passing credit tab.
- Fix or remove each linkUpdate it to a live page, or take it out. This clears the LinkSignal points and the panel together.
- Mark the ones you keepA flagged link you intend to keep, such as a paid or user-submitted one, should carry the right marker. The detail panel suggests which.
- Re-checkA re-check updates the report for the pages you edited. Use rescan and compare for the movement.
- Use reviewed for decisionsMarking a finding reviewed records a decision. It does not change the count.
What it does not mean
- It is not a PageRank figure and not a loss of rankings. It does not say what a search engine does with any link.
- It does not add or remove LinkSignal points. The points come from the rows in the methodology.
- A marker is not a cure: a nofollow link to a hijacked domain still sends visitors there.
Questions
Why does the panel say None while my score is low?
Because the flagged links may all be marked nofollow, or the issue is a row such as your certificate. The panel only counts followed links to flagged destinations.
Why do some reports have no panel?
How links were marked was not recorded for that scan, so there is nothing true to show. A new scan records it.
What is link equity?
A loose name for the idea that links pass value. The glossary explains it, and this panel only counts the links.
Run a scan and the panel sits beside the score.
