Google’s John Mueller mentioned that whereas it does make sense to cross-link between your content material in your web site, you must do it solely when it’s related and inside the context of the content material. In case your customers get confused by your hyperlinks, so might search engines like google and yahoo, John added.
John mentioned this on Mastodon after a Mastodon rant from Michael Lewittes. Let me share what Michael wrote on Mastodon:
I often do not publicly rant, however uninterested in a (rising) observe that’s not technically hyperlink spam or clickbait however resides someplace in between — and is incorrect (and must be dinged). It is hyperlinking to sure phrases in an article and redirecting readers to one thing they did not need or anticipate, and is just associated in probably the most tenuous of how to the principle content material.
For instance, Jay Leno and I’ve had a lot of conversations over time, and so once I examine his accident, I learn a report and clicked on the hyperlinked phrases, “was reportedly burned,” absolutely anticipating to seek out out extra particulars that maybe weren’t talked about above within the article. As an alternative, I used to be redirected to an article/photograph gallery on “Celeb Accidents Via The Years.” WHAT?!
If it had been a one-off, I would strike it to a rookie error, however I’ve seen this increasingly more each day, and it is each a nasty person expertise and dangerous journalism.
John Mueller of Google replied:
A few of that is being accomplished routinely, not that it makes it any higher.
Cross-linking between your content material makes a number of sense, nevertheless it ought to actually be one thing related. A minimum of a number of the websites have moved away from the observe of selecting random key phrases for that.
The issue with over-doing this (linking numerous your unrelated, however text-matching content material) is that the hyperlinks lose context. Identical to you bought confused, so will search engines like google and yahoo.
Actually, content material for the folks by the folks might develop into increasingly more necessary for Google within the close to future – so watch out of us.
Good rant Michael!
Discussion board dialogue at Mastodon.
