What Is Link Equity? The Ultimate Guide To Boosting Your SEO

Ever wonder why some websites consistently outrank yours? The answer often isn’t just content quality; it’s a powerful SEO concept called link equity. This value, passed from one site to another through links, is a critical factor that tells search engines your pages are authoritative and trustworthy. 

If you want to climb the rankings, understanding what is link equity in SEO is non-negotiable. This ultimate guide will show you exactly how to build, manage, and measure your link equity to achieve lasting SEO success and leave your competitors behind.

What Is Link Equity In SEO?

Imagine the entire internet is a vast network of interconnected pages, and every page has a certain amount of “authority” or “clout.” Link equity is the term we use to describe how that authority is passed from one page to another through hyperlinks. Think of it like a vote of confidence. 

When a reputable website links to your page, it’s essentially telling Google, “Hey, this content over here is valuable, trustworthy, and relevant. You should pay attention to it.”

A popular way to visualise this is with the term “link juice.” Picture every page on your website having a glass of juice. When you get a link from another website, it’s like they are pouring some of their juice into your glass. 

If that link comes from a huge, authoritative site (like the BBC or a major university), it’s like they’re pouring from a massive jug, giving you a significant boost. If it comes from a small, unknown blog, it’s just a small trickle.

This concept isn’t new; it’s woven into the very fabric of how Google works. Its original, groundbreaking algorithm was called PageRank, and its primary job was to measure a page’s importance by analysing the quantity and quality of links pointing to it. 

While Google’s algorithm is now infinitely more complex, this fundamental principle remains: links are a primary signal of authority.

Suppose a well-known travel website writes an article about the “Top 10 Travel Apps” and includes a link to your new travel-planning app. 

That single link could pass significant equity to your app’s website, increasing its authority in the eyes of search engines and helping it rank higher for relevant search terms like “travel planner” or “trip organiser”.

Now, imagine if five or ten trusted websites did the same. The cumulative equity from those links could push your website ahead of the competition.

As a result, Google sees this powerful “vote of confidence” and is more likely to rank your sourdough recipe higher in search results, recognising it as a credible and valuable resource. 

In essence, building link equity is the process of earning these valuable endorsements from across the web to build up your own site’s authority and, ultimately, your search engine rankings.

6 Key Factors That Determine Equity

Not all links are created equal. A link from a tiny, unknown blog simply doesn’t carry the same weight as a link from a major international news source. 

Search engines analyse several specific elements to decide just how much authority, or “link juice,” a single link should pass. Understanding these factors is the key to building a backlink profile that genuinely boosts your rankings.

Let’s break down the six most important ones.

1. Authority Of The Linking Site

One of the most powerful indicators of a link’s value is the authority of the website that’s linking to you. Think of it like getting a referral: a recommendation from a well-known expert holds more weight than one from someone no one has heard of.

Search engines view links from trusted, high-authority domains as more credible and are more likely to pass substantial link equity. This is why a backlink from The Straits Times or gov.sg will do more for your rankings than a link from an unknown personal blog.

You can get a sense of a site’s authority using metrics like Domain Authority (DA) or Domain Rating (DR) from tools like Moz or Ahrefs. While these aren’t official Google metrics, they’re widely used in the SEO industry to estimate the strength of a domain.

2. Topical Relevance

Search engines don’t just look at where a link comes from—they also consider what it’s about. A link from a website within your own niche is far more impactful than one from an unrelated industry.

Let’s say you run a fitness blog. A link from a health or exercise site will be more valuable than one from a tech or travel blog, even if the latter has higher authority. That’s because topical relevance helps Google understand that your page is part of a broader, credible conversation within your industry.

3. The “Follow” vs. “Nofollow” Attribute

This is a technical but vital distinction. By default, every link you create is a “follow” link. This type of link acts as an open door, allowing link equity to flow from the linking page to your page. It’s the standard link that passes that valuable “vote of confidence.”

However, sometimes a special HTML attribute is added to a link: rel=”nofollow”. This “nofollow” tag is a specific instruction to search engines, telling them, “Don’t count this link as an endorsement. Don’t pass any authority through here.” It effectively creates a locked door for link equity.

Nofollow tags are commonly used for:

• Links in blog comments and forum posts (to combat spam)
• Paid or sponsored links (to comply with Google’s guidelines)
• User-generated content

For example, a link to your website that’s included editorially within a guest post you wrote for another blog is almost always a valuable “follow” link. In contrast, if you post a link to your site in the comments section of a news article, it will almost certainly be a “nofollow” link and will not contribute any direct link equity.

4. Link Placement

Where a link appears on a page has a significant impact on its value. The most powerful links are those embedded naturally within the main body of content. These are often called editorial or contextual links.

Why are they so valuable? Because a link placed within a paragraph shows that the author is actively and deliberately citing your page as a resource to support their writing. It’s a very strong signal of endorsement.

Links placed in other areas, such as the website’s footer (e.g., “Website designed by…”) or in a long list in the sidebar, are seen as less important by search engines because they don’t carry the same editorial weight.

5. Number Of Links On The Page

Remember our “link juice” analogy? A webpage has a finite amount of authority it can pass on. This authority is divided among all the outbound links on that page. This is known as link equity dilution.

The more links there are on a page, the less value each individual link can pass. If a page with 100 units of authority links out to only two other websites, each of those sites gets a healthy share of the equity. 

If that same page links out to 100 different websites, the authority is split 100 ways, and each link passes on only a tiny fraction.

6. Technical Health

Finally, for a link to pass any equity at all, it must be technically sound. A link is useless if a search engine can’t use it correctly.

There are two main technical aspects to consider:

1. Crawlability: Search engine bots must be able to find and follow the link. If a page is blocked from being crawled (via a file called robots.txt), any links on that page become invisible to them.
2. HTTP Status: The link must point to a live, working page. A live page gives a “200 OK” status. If the link points to a page that has been deleted, it results in a “404 Not Found” error. This is a broken link—a dead end where all potential link equity is completely wasted.

This is why 301 redirects are so important. If you move a page to a new URL, a 301 (permanent) redirect tells search engines the new location, ensuring that almost all the link equity from the old URL is passed seamlessly to the new one.

Example: If a popular blog links to your page at yourwebsite.com/services, but you later reorganise your site and move it to yourwebsite.com/our-services, you must set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one. If you don’t, that valuable link becomes a broken 404 error, and you lose all its SEO benefits.

How To Build & Manage Your Link Equity?

Understanding the theory is one thing, but putting it into practice is what gets results. This section transitions from “what” link equity is to “how” you can actively build and manage it. 

The process involves two key battlegrounds: earning valuable links from other websites (external linking) and intelligently distributing that power across your own site (internal linking).

Let’s start with the first, and often most challenging, part: earning those powerful external links.

Identify Your “Linkable” Content Topics

The first step in any successful link-building campaign is knowing what kind of content earns links in the first place. People don’t just link to any page—they link to content that offers value, stands out, or provides something useful.

Here are a few types of “linkable assets” that consistently attract backlinks:

• Ultimate guides – In-depth resources that cover a topic comprehensively (e.g. The Ultimate Guide to Home Renovation in Singapore).
• Original research or data – Statistics, case studies, or reports based on your own findings.
• Free tools or templates – Think calculators, spreadsheets, checklists, or design templates.
• Interactive content – Quizzes, maps, timelines, or comparison tools.
• Expert roundups or interviews – Featuring well-known names in your industry can attract natural links when they share it.
• Visual assets – Infographics and explainer videos are often embedded and credited with backlinks.

Pro tip:
Start by reviewing your competitors’ top-linked pages using a tool like Ahrefs or SEMrush. Identify the patterns in content type and topic—and then build something even better.

Develop And Polish Your Asset

Once you’ve identified a promising content idea, it’s time to build something worth linking to. The key here is quality. A mediocre article or rushed blog post won’t cut it—especially if you want to earn links from high-authority websites.

Here’s what makes a link-worthy asset truly stand out:

• In-depth research – Back up your points with credible sources, stats, and original insights.
• Clear structure – Use headings, bullet points, and visuals to make content scannable and reader-friendly.
• Professional design – Especially for downloadable templates, tools, or infographics. Good design increases shareability.
• Mobile and UX optimisation – Ensure your content loads quickly, looks good on mobile, and offers a smooth experience.
• Fresh, updated info – Timely content is more attractive to link to than outdated material.

Example:
Let’s say you create a downloadable Excel template for monthly budgeting. Instead of simply uploading the file, write an engaging article about “How to Budget Your Salary in Singapore”, include screenshots, and explain how to use the tool. This increases its usefulness—and its likelihood of being linked to.

Conduct Targeted Outreach

Even the best content won’t earn backlinks if no one knows it exists. That’s where outreach comes in. This step is about proactively promoting your content to websites that may find it useful enough to reference.

Here’s how to approach it:

1. Find relevant sites – Use Google or SEO tools to identify blogs, news outlets, or industry directories that cover your topic.
2. Check for broken links or content gaps – Offer your content as a better or updated resource.
3. Craft a value-driven pitch – Focus on how your content benefits them, not just you.

Simple email outreach template:

Subject: Resource to complement your article on [Topic]

Hi [First Name],

I came across your article on [Page Title]—great piece!

I’ve recently published a detailed guide on [Your Topic], which I think your readers would find valuable. Here’s the link: [URL]

Feel free to include it as a resource if you think it adds value.

Thanks and keep up the great work!

Best regards,

[Your Name]

Keep it short, polite, and focused on how your content adds value to their audience. Avoid sounding spammy or overly self-promotional.

Find Relevant Guest Post Opportunities

Guest posting remains one of the most effective and sustainable ways to build high-quality backlinks—if done properly. The first step? Finding websites that actively accept guest contributions.

To begin, look for blogs or online publications in your niche or industry that have an engaged readership and a history of publishing guest content. You don’t need fancy tools to do this—Google alone can help you discover dozens of opportunities.

Try using these search operators in Google:

• your topic + “write for us”
• your niche + “submit a guest post”
• your industry + “become a contributor”
• your keyword + “guest post guidelines”
• “guest post by” + your topic

Example searches:

• digital marketing “write for us”
• home renovation blog “submit a guest post”
• personal finance “guest post by”

You can also use platforms like AllTop, BlogDash, or even LinkedIn to discover bloggers and content managers open to collaborations.

Once you’ve identified a few promising sites, it’s time to make sure they’re worth your time and effort.

Vet The Website’s Quality

Not all guest posting opportunities are created equal. In fact, getting a backlink from the wrong site—such as one filled with spam, low-quality content, or irrelevant topics—could actually hurt your SEO instead of helping it.

Here’s how to vet a website before pitching:

1. Check domain metrics – Use tools like Moz (DA), Ahrefs (DR), or SEMrush to assess a site’s authority. A DA of 30+ is generally a good starting point, but even lower DA sites can be valuable if they’re highly relevant.
2. Look at the content quality – Is the writing well-structured and free of errors? Does it provide real value, or is it stuffed with keywords and promotional fluff?
3. Review the site’s backlinks – Check whether the site has backlinks from trustworthy sources—or if it’s part of a dodgy link farm.
4. Assess topical relevance – Even a high-authority site won’t help much if it’s completely unrelated to your niche. Stick to sites your target audience would naturally visit.
5. Check traffic levels – A site with real organic traffic is more trustworthy. You can use SimilarWeb or Ahrefs to get a rough idea of visitor numbers.

Red flags to avoid:

• Overly broad blogs that accept every topic imaginable
• Sites filled with low-effort guest posts
• “Write for us” pages with hundreds of unrelated author bios
• Excessive outbound links on every article

Pitch A Valuable Topic

Once you’ve found a quality site, the next challenge is getting your pitch accepted. Site editors receive tons of outreach emails, most of which are ignored because they’re vague, generic, or clearly templated.

To stand out, suggest a specific and relevant topic—one that fits seamlessly with the blog’s existing content and serves their audience.

Here’s how to craft a strong pitch:

1. Address the editor by name – Avoid “Dear Webmaster.” A quick check of the site’s About or Contact page usually reveals who to write to.
2. Do your homework – Mention a recent post you enjoyed or explain why you think your idea would resonate with their readers.
3. Propose 2–3 topic ideas – Make sure they haven’t already covered them, and tailor them to the blog’s voice and audience.
4. Be clear about your value – Let them know what they’ll get—a well-written, original piece that brings value to their audience.

Write An Excellent Post And Link Naturally

Getting your guest post pitch accepted is a fantastic first step, but the real work starts now. Your goal is to deliver an article that is so helpful and well-written that the editor is thrilled to publish it. This not only builds a great relationship for future collaborations but also ensures your brand is represented professionally.

First and foremost, follow their guidelines to the letter. If they ask for 1,500 words, a specific image format, and two subheadings, deliver exactly that. This shows you are professional and respect their process.

Next, remember to write for their audience, not for yourself. Adapt your tone and style to match the host blog. The article should solve a problem or provide a unique perspective that their readers will find genuinely valuable.

Now for the most important part for your SEO: placing your link. The golden rule is that the link must feel natural and be helpful to the reader. It should be an editorial citation, not a clunky advertisement.

• Bad Example (Too Promotional): “…these marketing strategies are very effective. To learn more, check out my company, BestSEO, for great results.”
• Good Example (Natural & Contextual): “…a crucial first step for any local business is to conduct a thorough <u>local SEO audit</u> to understand their current online visibility.”

In the good example, the link on “local SEO audit” naturally leads the reader to a page on your site that provides more in-depth information about that specific topic. It adds value to the article rather than interrupting it. 

Use descriptive, relevant anchor text like this instead of generic phrases like “click here,” and you’ll be providing a link that is both helpful for the reader and powerful for your SEO.

Identify Your Power Pages

Once you start earning external links, your focus should expand. It’s not just about acquiring new equity anymore; it’s also about intelligently directing the equity you already have. This is where a smart internal linking strategy begins.

First, you need to identify your “power pages.” These are the pages on your own website that have the most authority because they have attracted the most backlinks from other sites. Think of them as the pages with the fullest “glasses of link juice.”

The easiest and cheapest way to find them is by using the free Google Search Console.

1. Log in to your Google Search Console account.
2. On the menu down the left-hand side, scroll to the bottom and click on “Links.”
3. In the main window, you will see a section for “External links.” Look for the table beneath it labelled “Top linked pages.”

This table shows you a list of your website’s URLs, ordered by which ones have the most external sites linking to them. 

These are your power pages! You now have a list of your most authoritative assets, ready to be used to boost other pages on your site. (Paid tools like Ahrefs or Moz also offer more detailed “Best by Links” reports that provide similar insights).

Find Relevant Linking Opportunities

Once you’ve identified your power pages, the next step is to put that equity to work.

Think of link equity like water in a reservoir. Right now, it’s sitting in one place—but with smart internal linking, you can redirect that flow to pages that need a visibility boost, like service pages, product listings, or newer blog posts.

How to find internal linking opportunities:

1. List your priority pages – These could be pages targeting competitive keywords or those with low rankings but high potential.
2. Scan your power pages for relevant anchor points – Look for text where it would be natural to add a link to a related page.
3. Add the internal link using descriptive anchor text – Make sure the link fits seamlessly within the content and clearly signals what the linked page is about.

Example:
Let’s say one of your power pages is a blog post titled “The Ultimate Guide to SEO Basics”, and you’re trying to improve rankings for your SEO Audit Services page. If the guide briefly touches on audits, you can add a contextual link with anchor text like “comprehensive SEO audit services”.

Best practices:

• Don’t overdo it—1 to 3 internal links per page is plenty.
• Avoid generic anchor text like “click here”. Be specific.
• Always link to relevant pages that provide real value to the reader.

Add The Internal Link

This is the moment where your strategy becomes a reality. Finding the opportunity is the hard part; adding the actual link is simple but critical. By physically creating this link, you are building the pathway that allows authority to flow from your powerful page to your target page.

For most website editing platforms, like WordPress, the process takes less than a minute:

1. Open the Power Page: Go into the back-end editor of the power page you want to add the link from.
2. Highlight Your Chosen Text: Find the phrase you identified in the previous step and use your mouse to select it. This will become your anchor text.
3. Click the ‘Link’ Icon: In your editor’s toolbar, you will see an icon that looks like a chain link (🔗). Click on it.
4. Paste the URL: A small box will appear. Copy the full URL of your target page (the page you want to send authority to) and paste it into this box.
5. Save and Update: Hit ‘Enter’ to apply the link, and then be sure to save or update the page to make your changes live on your website.

And that’s it! You have successfully created an internal link that acts as a conduit, funnelling some of that valuable link equity from a strong page to a weaker one, giving it the boost it needs to become more visible in Google’s search results.

Avoid Generic Anchor Text

Now, let’s talk about one of the most common and easily-fixed mistakes in internal linking: the anchor text itself. Anchor text is simply the visible, clickable text in a hyperlink. It’s a powerful signal that you should never waste.

Why is it so important? Because it gives search engines (and users) a massive clue about what the destination page is about before they even click on it. It provides crucial context.

Unfortunately, many websites waste this opportunity by using generic, unhelpful anchor text. You should always avoid vague phrases like:

• “Click here”
• “Read more”
• “Learn more”
• “Find out more here”
• “This page”

When Google’s crawler sees a link that just says “click here,” it gets no information about the topic of the linked page. You are essentially sending a signal with no message attached, wasting a valuable chance to reinforce the relevance of your content.

Be Specific And Natural

Now that you know to avoid vague anchor text, let’s talk about what makes a good one. The sweet spot lies in being both specific and natural.

Your anchor text should reflect the content of the page you’re linking to, ideally incorporating relevant keywords without sounding forced or robotic. This balance ensures that the link feels natural to human readers while still giving search engines useful context.

What specific and natural looks like:

• Use clear, relevant keywords: These help Google understand what the linked page is about.
• Match the tone and flow of your sentence: If it sounds awkward or shoehorned in, revise it.
• Vary your anchor text across your site: Don’t use the exact same phrase everywhere—diversity helps SEO.

Examples:

✅ Good anchor text:

• “Explore our guide to writing effective meta descriptions.”
• “Check out our 2025 SEO checklist for SMEs.”

❌ Bad anchor text:

• “Click here for the article.”
• “Visit this page to learn more.”

Remember, the goal isn’t just to insert a keyword—it’s to add a helpful, relevant link in a way that feels natural to the reader.

When done right, internal linking doesn’t just move link equity around. It also enhances user experience, improves navigation, and helps Google crawl and rank your site more effectively.

5 Actionable Methods On How to Measure Your Link Equity

So, you’re building links and creating great content, but how do you know if it’s actually working? While Google doesn’t give us a public “link equity score” to check, you can absolutely track your progress. 

By using a combination of free and paid tools, you can piece together a clear picture of your site’s growing authority.

Think of it like a fitness journey; you might track your weight, your body measurements, and how fast you can run. No single number tells the whole story, but together, they show you’re getting stronger. Here are five key methods to track your website’s SEO strength.

1. Analyse Domain And Page Authority Metrics

The closest thing we have to a quantifiable link equity score comes from metrics created by major SEO software companies. They analyse a website’s entire backlink profile to estimate its overall authority. These are perfect for benchmarking your progress.

The main ones to know are:

• Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA) from Moz.
• Domain Rating (DR) and URL Rating (UR) from Ahrefs.
• Authority Score (AS) from SEMrush.

These scores typically run on a logarithmic scale from 0 to 100, meaning it’s much easier to grow from a score of 10 to 20 than it is to grow from 60 to 70.

How to use them: When you start your SEO efforts, check your site’s DA or DR. For example, a new blog about food in Singapore might start with a DA of 5. 

After a year of earning quality links from other local food blogs and perhaps a feature on a major Singaporean news site, you might see that score climb to 30. This steady increase is a strong sign that your link equity is growing.

2. Review The “Top Linked Pages” Report In Google Search Console

This method uses Google’s very own free tool, making it one of the most reliable and accessible ways to see what’s happening. The Links report in Google Search Console is a goldmine for understanding where your authority is concentrated.

Here’s how to find it:

1. Log in to your Google Search Console account.
2. On the menu on the left-hand side, scroll down and click on “Links.”
3. Look under the “External links” heading for the table labelled “Top linked pages.”

This report shows you exactly which of your pages have attracted the most links from other websites. These are your “power pages”—the ones with the most accumulated link equity. 

This is the exact list you should use to find opportunities for strategic internal linking to pass that authority to other important pages on your site.

3. Count The Number And Quality Of Referring Domains

A diverse backlink profile is a healthy backlink profile. As a rule, it is far better to get one link from ten different quality websites than to get ten links from the same website. Each unique website that links to you is called a “referring domain.”

Why does diversity matter? Because when many different websites endorse your content, it signals to Google that you are a widely recognised authority on a topic. It looks much more natural and credible.

However, the emphasis must be on quality. Your goal should be to steadily increase your number of high-quality, relevant referring domains. All major SEO tools prominently display your total “Referring Domains” count on their main dashboard. 

Keep an eye on this number, but also periodically review the quality of the sites linking to you to ensure you aren’t attracting spam.

4. Assess The Authority Of The Specific Linking Pages

This is where we get more granular. While a domain’s overall authority (DA or DR) is important, the authority of the specific page that links to you can have a massive impact.

Think of it like this: a link from the homepage of The Straits Times‘ website would be incredibly powerful. A link from a forgotten article in their 2012 archive, buried deep within the site, would pass on significantly less link equity, even though it’s on the same high-authority domain.

When you get a new backlink, use a tool to check the page-level metrics:

• Page Authority (PA) from Moz
• URL Rating (UR) from Ahrefs

A link from a page with a UR of 40 is far more impactful than one from a page with a UR of 5. This helps you understand the true quality of each link you build and prioritise opportunities that offer the most value.

5. Track Organic Traffic To Your Key Pages

Finally, this is the metric that truly matters for your business. All the authority scores and backlink counts are leading indicators; the ultimate measure of success is an increase in visitors coming to your site from Google search results.

The logic is simple: More Link Equity → Higher Authority → Better Rankings → More Organic Traffic

Use these free tools to monitor this:

• Google Search Console: The “Performance” report allows you to filter by page and see how many clicks and impressions it’s getting from organic search. After building links to a page, you should see a gradual upward trend here.
• Google Analytics: Under the “Acquisition” reports, you can see how much traffic is coming from the “Organic Search” channel to specific landing pages.

Don’t expect overnight results. It can take weeks or even months for the effects of new links to fully register. However, seeing a steady climb in organic traffic to the pages you’ve been promoting is the definitive sign that your link equity strategy is working and delivering real-world results.

Conclusion About Link Equity In SEO

You’ve just journeyed through the core of what is link equity in SEO. You now have the blueprint for building a website that search engines trust, understanding that it’s the tangible authority flowing through high-quality links that truly matters. 

You know the key factors, from site authority to technical health, and you have the strategies to build and manage this crucial asset for your business.

But as a Singapore business owner, your focus isn’t just on learning SEO theory—it’s on driving revenue.

You’re searching for ways to grow your business, not in years, but in months. You want actual results, not vanity metrics like clicks and likes. You want more sales, more leads, and more revenue.

That’s precisely what we do at BestSEO. We don’t promise you impressions; we build powerful strategies across Search Engine Optimisation, Search Engine Marketing (PPC), and Web Design that are designed to drive revenue straight into your business. 

Whether you need an expert in Local SEO, E-Commerce Web Design, or Online Reputation Management, our entire approach is built to deliver you actual conversions.

If you’re ready to turn these SEO concepts into a powerful revenue engine for your business, then let’s have a chat.

Contact us today for your free, non-obligatory consultation. You’ll get a complete breakdown of your business’s online potential and a clear quotation to help you achieve the rapid growth you’re looking for.

Frequently Asked Questions About Link Equity In SEO

Does Internal Linking Pass The Same Amount Of Link Equity As An External Link?

While both are crucial, external links from reputable, separate websites are the primary source of new authority for your domain. Internal links are essential for distributing that acquired equity throughout your own site, but they don’t introduce new authority in the same way.

How Long Does It Take For A New Backlink To Pass Link Equity And Affect My Rankings?

There is no exact timeframe, but it typically takes several weeks to a few months. Google needs to discover the new link, crawl the page it’s on, and then reassess your page’s authority within its index. Patience is key, as the impact is gradual rather than immediate.

Can I Lose Link Equity If The Website Linking To Me Removes The Link?

Yes, absolutely. Link equity is not a permanent asset. If a website removes a backlink pointing to your page, the flow of authority from that specific source is cut off, and your page’s overall link equity will decrease as a result.

Are Links From Social Media Platforms Like Facebook Or Linkedin Valuable For Link Equity?

Links from social media posts are almost always “nofollow,” meaning they do not directly pass link equity. However, they are valuable for driving traffic, increasing brand visibility, and potentially leading to genuine, “follow” links from people who discover your content through these channels.

How Does A 301 Redirect Differ From A 302 Redirect In Passing Link Equity?

A 301 redirect is permanent and is understood by search engines to pass the vast majority (nearly all) of the link equity from the old URL to the new one. 

A 302 redirect is temporary and historically passed with little to no link equity, as it signals the move is not permanent. For SEO, you should always use a 301 redirect for content that has moved for good.

Can Having Too Many Outbound Links On One Of My Pages Harm Its Own Rankings?

It can, but context is key. A page with an excessive number of low-quality or irrelevant outbound links can appear spammy and may dilute the equity it can pass. However, linking out to high-quality, relevant resources is a natural and often helpful practice that won’t typically harm your rankings.