Google recently updated its guidance on SEO Link Best Practices. These recommendations are generally aligned with HTML recommendations. Here are some things to note:
- Title Attribute Can Work Like an Anchor Text. The title attribute applied to a link element can be used in the absence of anchor text (see below) to describe the purpose of the link.
- Extra Long Anchor Text is Bad. Google’s new guidance recommends that anchor text serve as a concise description of the link’s purpose.
- Context and Natural Language Matter. You know the drill. When it comes to link anchor text, write naturally—for humans—using only those keywords necessary to understand the page you’re linking to.
- Don’t Chain Links. Chaining links—or adding links close together so that each linked word does not adequately communicate what the linked page is about—is bad practice.
For more, check out Search Engine Journal’s recap of the updates.
