Across 360 placements split by landing target (n=360), per-link ranking impact on the intended keyword:
— Link to specific deep target page: median +3.8 positions on that page's keyword
— Link to homepage: median +2.0, diffused across the site
Homepage links build domain-wide authority but dilute — the equity spreads across hundreds of pages. Deep links concentrate signal on the exact URL you want ranking.
Homepage links still matter for brand/trust signals; they just don't move a specific keyword efficiently.
Point links at the deep page you want to rank — not the homepage — when the goal is a specific keyword.
Link Velocity Index
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Links to deep pages moved target rankings 1.9x more per link than homepage links
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