Google has released updated best practices for links within their SEO and search developer documentation. Originally, this was a guide on creating crawlable links, but it has been expanded to cover:
- Anchor text placements
- How to write good anchor text
- Internal links within your content
- External links from other sites
Crawlable links
The first section is reminiscent of the original document, focusing on the essentials of crawlable links. It now states, "Generally, Google can only crawl your link if it’s an <a> HTML element (also known as an anchor element) with an href attribute. Most links in other formats won’t be parsed and extracted by Google’s crawlers. Google can’t reliably extract URLs from <a> elements that don’t have an href attribute or other tags that perform as links because of script events. Here are examples of links that Google can and can’t parse:"
Anchor text placement
Google defines anchor text as "the visible text of a link. This text tells people and Google something about the page you’re linking to. Place anchor text between <a> elements that Google can crawl."
They provide examples of good and bad anchor text placement.
Writing anchor text
Google advises that "good anchor text is descriptive, reasonably concise, and relevant to the page that it’s on and to the page it links to. It provides context for the link and sets the expectation for your readers. The better your anchor text, the easier it is for people to navigate your site and for Google to understand what the page you’re linking to is about."
Examples of well and poorly written anchor text are also provided.
Internal links
Google highlights there is no set number of links you need. They write, "You may usually think about linking in terms of pointing to external websites, but paying more attention to the anchor text used for internal links can help both people and Google make sense of your site more easily and find other pages on your site. Every page you care about should have a link from at least one other page on your site. Think about what other resources on your site could help your readers understand a given page on your site, and link to those pages in context."
External links
Google addresses the trustworthiness factor of links, the use of nofollow for spammy links, and how to handle paid links. They state, "Linking to other sites isn’t something to be scared of; in fact, using external links can help establish trustworthiness (for example, citing your sources). Link out to external sites when it makes sense, and provide context to your readers about what they can expect."
Why we care
SEOs are heavily focused on links, as they are a significant ranking factor for modern search engines. So, any information Google publishes on this subject should be reviewed by SEOs to inform their link-building and management strategies.
