Is there a difference in how Google handles internal links based on where they are on a page? Do internal links in the header and footer play a lesser role?
Google's John Mueller recently responded to a question about whether Google uses internal links in the footer or header differently. Google's John Mueller explained how Google handles internal links within a web page and highlighted minor differences in Google's behavior with the main content of a page.
Internal links are links on a website that take you to another page on the same site.
Internal links include menu links, which are typically found in the header, and links to important sections of the site, such as the about us and contact pages, which are typically found in the website's footer.
Internal links can also refer to other pages on the Site that are accessible through the content.
Internal links are important, according to Google's John Mueller, and the person who asked the question wanted to know how different types of internal links are handled.
The question was asked as follows:
"You recently emphasized the importance of internal linking in informing Google about the significance of specific content on the site.
I'm curious if links to specific sections of the site are viewed differently.
For instance, if a page is linked to a header or footer and thus appears on every page of the website.
Is Google treating those links differently because they're in the body of the page?
Mueller clarified that links are not treated any differently because they are on a web page.
John Mueller answered:
"We don't make much of a difference there.
So, for example, if things are linked in the footer of their page and they are linked to the entire website, then you have links to the entire website in our opinion.
Not that we'd say, uh, footer links weigh down or aren't as useful, so we'll ignore them or anything.
As a result, when it comes to links, we essentially see them as links on a page."
Then, according to John Mueller, text within the main content is treated differently.
He went on to explain:
"When it comes to text, it's a little different in that we try to figure out what a page's primary content is.
We'll try to focus on that major content section of the page when it comes to ranking in relation to other content on your website.
But, from our perspective, links help us better understand the structure of the site, and whether they are in the header, footer, sidebar, or main content makes no difference to us.
The main content area is treated slightly differently, according to John Mueller, with headers, footers, and internal links inside the main content being treated the same.
Internal links are hyperlinks that point to (target) the same domain as the one on which the link is located (source). one that points to another page on the same website.
.Internal links are classified into two types: navigational and contextual. As search engines crawl your website, navigational links include links in your header, footer, and navigation bars that help users find other pages within the same domain.
.What exactly are internal links? An internal link is any link that connects one page of your website to another. Links are used by both users and search engines to find content on your website. Users use links to navigate through your site and find the content they are looking for.
.You want to include internal links on your page. However, if it makes sense, don't be afraid to include 1-2 internal links at the top of your page. If you want to spread PageRank throughout your site via internal links, you must use standard dofollow links.
.Internal links are important because they can assist Google in better understanding and ranking your website. By providing Google with links to follow, as well as descriptive anchor text, you can tell Google which pages on your site are important and what they are about.
.Internal links help users and search engines find pages on your website more easily. They can aid in the ranking of other pages on your site. External links are used to indicate to search engines that a page is credible.
.An outbound link, also known as an external link, is a link that leads from your website to another website. Someone else's inbound link is your outbound link. An internal link is one that takes readers to another page on the same website.
.An internal link is a link that connects one page on the same domain to another. They are simply text hyperlinks from one page of your website to another. Your website navigation is an example of internal linking, but we're talking about links on the page, in the content here.
.You should be aware of four types of internal links: contextual links, navigational links, footer links, and image links. Here are some examples of each: Contextual hyperlinks.
.An internal link is a link that connects two pages on the same website. Through anchor text and surrounding content, they pass PageRank (or SEO value) as well as context. The term domain, rather than website, is used in most definitions of internal linking.
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