Linking is part of the World Wide Web where sites are connected to form networks and these networks are interconnected to form a large ecosystem. Thus, leaving private networks the whole web is interconnected. Links make up the web that we are discussing here. People also know the link as a hyperlink, and the anchor text in between is a clickable word.
In general, there are three types of Inbound links:
- Internal links – hyperlinks that lead from one page to another within your own website.
- External links – hyperlinks that lead from your website to another resource.
- Backlinks – hyperlinks that lead from another site to you.
Links Discussed Here
- Sponsored Links
- UGC Links
- No Follow Links
- Regular Links
A normal link, with no real attribute
<a href=”https://www.example.com”>example</a>
A nofollow link: <a href=”https://www.example.com” rel=”nofollow”>example link</a>
A sponsored link: <a href=”https://www.example.com” rel=”sponsored”>example link</a>
A user-generated content link: <a href=”https://www.example.com” rel=”UGC”>example link/a>
People use regular links the most for ranking. They accord link weight, and the anchor text and surrounding text offer loads of information to search engines. Regular links do not carry rel attributes. The link structure is as follows:
<a href=”https://example.com”>Example</a>
More than one rel attribute can be combined in one link structure
<a href=”https://www.example.com” rel=”nofollow sponsored”>example link</a>.
Google & Links
Google makes its judgment about the link as it parses the link. A regular link is most valuable and part of SEO or search engine exercise. Webmasters vie with each other to create authoritative links to rank better.
UGC or User Generated Content
UGC is content created by the user. It may be a brand, text, image, graphic, or video. This sponsored link is usually for advertisement purposes. Google can differentiate these unnatural links from natural ones.
You should not allow this type of link if you wish to retain your rank. Someone may use the links without rel= value to spam your site leading to ranking drop.
In such cases, consider using the following:
<a rel=”UGC” href=”https://example.com/user-generated-content/Example”>Example’s blog</a>
When you add the rel=”UGC”, you tell search engines that this is user-generated content. UGC links are usually placed in the comment section of the site.
Sponsored Content
If your site is doing well and an advertiser offers to pay for a link or ad on your site, you can add the following:
<a rel=”sponsored” href=”https://example.com”>Sponsored ad</a>
This rel=”sponsored” informs search engines that the link isn’t spam but is sponsored.
No Follow
Use rel=”no follow” if you wish search engines to ignore the link. No follow can prevent wrongly directed sites when used for advertisement. If you use your site to advertise a site that you like, it can earn you $$$. But if using a redirect the advertiser directs it to a site you do not like then no follow it. This will not let linking benefit the client site.
Thus inbound links are of many types and as webmasters and site owners, we must understand them well.