Links
Links are how search engines discover pages and one of the ways they judge relevance and importance. Internal links connect your own pages and entities; backlinks from other sites act as references. Google asks for crawlable links with descriptive anchor text, and for paid or user-generated links to be qualified with rel="sponsored" or rel="ugc".
How does Google use links?
Google uses links to find new pages and as a signal of relevance; its ranking systems guide lists link analysis systems, including PageRank, among its core systems.[1][2] Officially documented
What makes a link crawlable?
Google can reliably follow <a> elements with an href attribute that resolves to a URL. Links created only by script events, or <a> tags without an href, may not be followed.[1] Officially documented
What is good anchor text?
Anchor text should describe the page it points to, concisely. Avoid generic text such as “click here” and avoid stuffing keywords into anchors.[1] Officially documented For entities, anchoring a link with the entity’s name tells readers and crawlers which thing the target page is about.
Which rel values should you use?
| Value | Use for |
|---|---|
rel="sponsored" | Paid links, ads, sponsorships |
rel="ugc" | User-generated content such as comments and forum posts |
rel="nofollow" | Other links you do not want associated with your site |
Source: Google’s guide to qualifying outbound links.[3] Officially documented
How do you earn backlinks without spam?
Google’s spam policies treat buying or selling links that pass ranking credit, excessive link exchanges and automated link schemes as link spam.[4] Officially documented Sustainable ways to be linked and mentioned include original research, genuinely useful tools, expert commentary to journalists, community and industry involvement, and accurate listings on relevant directories. Practitioner practice
How do links relate to entities?
- Internal links build a map of your entities and topics; see internal linking for entities.
- Mentions of your brand on trusted sites corroborate your facts, even without a link; AEO.wiki covers this in citations and brand mentions. Practitioner practice
- Profile links from your site to official profiles, mirrored in sameAs, tie accounts to one entity.
- Local prominence reflects links and reviews; see local SEO.[5]
Frequently asked questions
Are backlinks still important?
Yes. Google lists link analysis among its ranking systems. Relevance and quality matter more than raw numbers, and manipulative links violate Google's spam policies.
Should internal links be nofollow?
No. Nofollow is for outbound links you do not vouch for. Internal links should normally be plain followed links.
Do unlinked brand mentions help?
Many practitioners believe mentions help engines corroborate an entity, but Google has not documented how it weighs them.
See also
References
Pages accessed September 29, 2026 unless a date is given. See all sources and our editorial policy.
- ^ "Link best practices for Google". Google Search Central.
- ^ "A guide to Google Search ranking systems". Google Search Central.
- ^ "Qualify your outbound links to Google". Google Search Central.
- ^ "Spam policies for Google web search". Google Search Central. Updated May 2026 to cover generative AI responses.
- ^ "Tips to improve your local ranking on Google". Google Business Profile Help.