Inbound links are a ranking signal and can vary greatly in how Google weights them.
Experts say one of the key attributes that can distinguish a high-value link from a low-value link is the context in which it appears.
when a Links are placed in related contentwhich is believed to have a greater impact on rankings than randomly inserted links in irrelevant text.
Does this statement matter?
Let’s dig deeper into claims about contextual linking as a ranking factor and see if there’s any evidence to support those claims.
Disclaimer: Contextual links are ranking factors
A “Contextual Link” means an inbound link to a URL that is relevant to the content on which the Link appears.
When an article links to a source to provide additional context For example, this is a contextual link for readers.
Contextual links add value, not distraction.
They should flow naturally with the content, giving readers some clues about the page they were directed to.
Not to be confused with anchor text, anchor text refers to the clickable part of a link, contextual links are defined by around text.
A link’s anchor text may be relevant to the web page it points to, but if it’s surrounded by other irrelevant content, it doesn’t qualify as a contextual link.
Contextual links are considered a Google ranking factor, claiming that search engines weight them higher than other types of links.
One of the reasons Google might care about context when it comes to links is the experience it creates for users.
When a user clicks a link and goes to a page related to what they viewed before, this is better than being directed to a web page they are not interested in.
Modern link building guidelines all recommend getting links from relevant URLs, rather than going out and placing links wherever you can get them.
When it comes to link building, there is now more emphasis on quality over quantity, and links are considered higher quality when their location makes sense in the context.
In theory, one high-quality contextual link is more valuable than multiple low-quality links.
That’s why experts recommend that website owners get at least some contextual links, as that will get them farther than building dozens of random links.
If Google weights link quality more or less based on context, that means Google’s crawlers can understand web pages and assess how well they relate to other URLs on the web.
Is there any evidence to support this?
Evidence of contextual links as a ranking factor
Evidence supporting contextual linking as a ranking factor dates back to the introduction of the Penguin algorithm update in 2012.
Google’s original algorithm, PageRank, is built entirely on links. The more links to a website, the more authority it is considered to have.
Websites can boost their site to the top of Google search results by building as many links as possible. It doesn’t matter whether the link is contextual or arbitrary.
Google’s PageRank algorithm isn’t selective about which links it values (or devalues) over others until it’s enhanced by a Penguin update.
Penguin made some changes to Google’s algorithm that made it harder to manipulate search rankings through spammy link building practices.
exist Google announces Penguinformer search engineer Matt Cutts highlighted a specific example of link spam it was designed to target.
This example describes the exact opposite of contextual linking, Cutts says:
“This is an example of a website with an unusual link pattern that is also affected by this change. Note that if you try to read the text aloud, you will see that the outgoing link has absolutely nothing to do with the actual content, in fact, the page text has been “Rotation” is beyond recognition.”
On the other hand, a contextual link looks like a link to a Google blog post a few paragraphs above.
Links with context have the following characteristics:
- place natural fit with content.
- Linked URLs are relevant to the article.
- Readers know where they’re going when they click on it.
All the documentation Google has published about Penguin over the years is the strongest evidence to support contextual linking as a ranking factor.
Look: The Complete Guide to Google’s Penguin Algorithm Update
However, Google will never say outright that “contextual link building is a ranking factor” as the company simply does not encourage any intentional link building.
As Katz added at the end of his Penguin announcement, Google would prefer to see pages get links organically:
“We want people who do white hat SEO (or even no SEO at all) to be free to focus on creating amazing, compelling websites.”
Contextual Links Are Ranking Factors: Our Verdict
Contextual links can be a Google ranking factor.
Links are weighted more when used in context than when randomly placed in irrelevant content.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean that links without context can negatively impact a site’s rankings.
External links are largely out of the website owner’s control.
If a site links to you out of context, don’t worry, because Google is able to ignore low-value links.
On the other hand, if Google detects unnatural linking patterns, then this can affect a site’s ranking.
If you have been actively involved in non-contextual link building in the past, then consider using deny tool.
Featured image: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Magazine
