What Are Text Links and Why Do They Matter For SEO?
Users leave websites if they can’t find what they want. Clicking on a link that goes to unrelated or old information annoys them, making them less likely to stay on your site.
This is where text links make a difference. These clickable words or phrases help connect your content, make sure that the user reaches the correct page, and let search engines understand your website a little better. Good text links help the users by providing relevant content when needed and also improve SEO by making pages easily accessible and rankable.
In this guide, we’ll show you how text links impact both user experience and SEO, and how to use them to improve your website’s performance.
What Are Text Links?
Text links are clickable parts that take users to other pages or websites. These links make the user experience better by helping users find what they need and look at related content.
But text links aren’t just for users — they’re important for SEO too. Search engines use text links to crawl websites, understand page connections, and rank your content better.
🧩 Anatomy of a Text Link
📌 Anchor Text: The clickable text that describes the destination.
🌐 URL (Uniform Resource Locator): The web address the link points to, which includes:
- 🛡️ Protocol: (e.g., https:// or http://).
- 🏠 Domain: The website’s address (e.g., example.com).
- 📂 Path: The specific page or resource (e.g., /blog/article).
- 🧩 Query Parameters: Extra information passed in the URL (e.g., ?id=123).
⚙️ Attributes: rel="nofollow" (no link authority), rel="dofollow" (passes authority), rel="sponsored" (paid links), target="_blank" (opens in a new tab).
8 Types of Text Links
Text links come in different forms, each playing a unique role in improving navigation and SEO. Here’s a quick breakdown of the key types of text links:
1. Internal Links
These links point to other pages within the same website. They help users navigate and allow search engines to crawl your site better, improving its overall structure.
2. External Links
External links point to pages on different websites. They help users find additional resources and signal to search engines that you reference credible content.
3. Backlinks
Backlinks are external links from other websites pointing to your site. They are essential for SEO as they indicate your content is valuable and trustworthy.
4. Footer Links
These links appear at the bottom of your website, often directing users to pages like terms and conditions, privacy policies, or social media profiles.
At Outreach Monks, we’ve used key internal links in our footer to enhance navigation and support site structure, ensuring relevance without compromising SEO value.
5. NoFollow and DoFollow Links
NoFollow Links: Tell search engines not to pass link equity to the target page.
<a href=”https://example.com” rel=”nofollow”>Sponsored Post</a>
DoFollow Links: Pass link equity, helping the target page rank better in search results.
<a href=”https://example.com”>Learn More About SEO</a>
6. Earned Links
Earned links are natural backlinks that other websites give without you asking, based on the value of your content.
An excellent example of earned links through original research is the Search Engine Journal’s article “History of Google Algorithm Updates.” According to Ahrefs, it has attracted nearly 3,000 backlinks by providing unique, high-value information that others naturally reference.
7. Natural Links
Natural links happen organically when someone links to your content because they find it helpful or relevant.
8. Navigation Links
These links are part of your site’s main navigation, such as menu links, headers, or sidebars, helping users move between pages.
A menu link to the “About Us” page.
Best Practices for Using Text Links
Using text links properly helps both user experience and SEO. Best practices are followed to improve things for the user and, at the same time, allow search engines to better understand content. Here is how to do it:
1. Use Descriptive Anchor Text
Anchor text refers to the part of the link that the user clicks and simultaneously communicates to both users and search engines what the subject matter of the target page is. The more obvious and keyword-rich anchor text is to a user and to SEO.
Instead of using “Click here” or “Read more,” use phrases like “Learn how to create a hyperlink in HTML” or “Explore the best tools for link building.”
When you do a text hyperlink, make sure that your anchor text is related to the content you’re linking to. So, if you are linking to a guide on how to make a hyperlink, use the same anchor text topic.
2. Add Anchor Text Contextually in the Content
Inserting text links randomly can make your content look spammy and hurt your SEO. Instead, place your link text where it naturally fits within the content. Contextual linking makes your content flow better and provides a better user experience.
3. Ensure Links Add Value
Every text link you add should serve a purpose. Whether it’s guiding users to another page or referencing an external resource, make sure your text to link provides additional value.
If you’re writing about SEO tools, linking to a guide on how to make a link or how to add a hyperlink makes sense and adds value to the reader.
4. Maintain Natural Link Placement
Your link embedded in the text should fit naturally within the sentence. Avoid placing links in random spots or at the beginning of a sentence, as it can disrupt the flow of the content.
Natural placement: “You can learn more about how to do a hyperlink by following our step-by-step guide.”
Unnatural placement: “Click here to learn more about how to hyperlink.”
👉 Tip: Keep Your Text Links Natural
Don’t force links into your content. Make sure the surrounding text flows naturally and is relevant to the topic.
Also, don’t use the same exact words as anchor text too many times because it can seem spammy to search engines. Instead, mix up your anchor text with phrases like “how to make a link,” “text linking,” or “how to create a hyperlink” to make your links look natural and interesting.
5. Use a Mix of Internal and External Links
A good balance of internal links (links to pages within your website) and external links (links to other websites) improves your site’s authority and navigation.
- Internal Links: Help users explore your site and find more relevant content.
- External Links: Add credibility by referencing reputable sources.
Internal link: Check out our guide on how to create a hyperlink for more details.
External link: Learn more about SEO best practices from Moz.
6. Open External Links in a New Tab
External links should open in a new tab so users can keep their spot on your website. This makes it better for users because they can look at other resources while still having your site open.
<a href=”https://example.com” target=”_blank”>External Resource</a>
7. Regularly Check and Update Links
Broken or outdated links hurt both user experience and SEO. Regularly check your text links to ensure they still work and point to relevant pages.
Here is an example from Ahrefs of finding broken links.
8. Follow SEO Guidelines for Sponsored Links
When linking to sponsored content or paid links, use the correct attributes to avoid penalties from search engines.
- Use rel=”sponsored” for links that are paid or promotional.
- Use rel=”nofollow” for links you don’t want to pass link equity to.
<a href=”https://example.com” rel=”sponsored”>Sponsored Post</a>
9. Limit the Number of Links on a Page
Too many links on one page confuse users and lower the SEO value of each link. Link to only important and useful resources rather than trying to have many links.
Linking to five valuable guides is better than adding 20 random links that don’t add much value.
10. Use Clear and Visible Link Formatting
Your text links should be easy to identify. Use formatting like underlining, bolding, or changing the color of links to make them stand out from regular text.
By following these best practices for text links, you’ll boost SEO, improve user experience, and ensure your links add real value. Focus on creating meaningful connections with clear, relevant links.
Why Are Text Links Important?
Text links are more than the clickable words that appear on a page; however, they represent an important component of user experience and SEO performance. Here’s why:
- Make the User Experience Better: Text links help users find related content. This makes it easier for them to find useful information and keep interested in your website.
- Information becomes easily accessible: Text links link users to the relevant content directly, and it saves them extra effort to search for more information.
- Help Search Engines Crawl Your Site: Search engines follow text links to discover new content and understand your site structure, which improves your visibility in search results.
- Pass Link Equity (Link Juice): Both internal and external text links transfer authority to the linked pages, helping boost their ranking potential.
- Provide Context with Anchor Text: The descriptive anchor text tells the search engines what the link refers to. Therefore, this helps improve the relevance of specific keywords.
- Ranking Improvements: Good text links enhance the authority of your site along with its structure, making search engines rank the content higher on their results.
Using text links wisely can make your website easier to find, keep people interested, and do better in search engines.
Conclusion
Text links are essential for both user experience and SEO. They help users find relevant content quickly and guide search engines in understanding your site’s structure. However, simply adding links isn’t enough — you need a strategy to get the best results.
OutreachMonks specializes in building SEO-friendly backlinks to strengthen your site’s authority. We provide the right solutions to improve your link profile and boost your SEO. Check out our customizable Link Building Packages to see how we can help grow your online presence effectively.
👇 Need help with your text linking strategy?
👉 Let OutreachMonks optimize your text links for better SEO results!
FAQs on Text Links
Can Text Links Help Reduce Bounce Rates?
Yes, well-placed internal text links can encourage users to explore more pages on your site, reducing bounce rates and increasing time spent on your website.
What Is The Difference Between A Text Link And A Button Link?
A text link is a clickable word or phrase, while a button link is typically a styled clickable element (like a button) used to draw more attention. Text links are more commonly used within content, while button links are often used for calls to action.
How Do Text Links Differ From Image Links?
Text links use words as the clickable element, while image links use pictures. Search engines prefer text links because they can read and understand the anchor text, making text links more effective for SEO.
Should I Use The Same Anchor Text For Multiple Links On A Page?
No, using the same anchor text repeatedly can look spammy to search engines. Vary your anchor text to keep it natural and provide more context to search engines.
How Many Text Links Should I Use On A Single Page?
There is no fixed number, but it’s best to avoid overcrowding a page with links. Focus on quality over quantity and ensure each link adds value to your content.
Can Text Links Open Pop-Ups Or Downloads?
Yes, text links can be set to open pop-ups, downloads, or other types of files. However, this should be clearly indicated in the anchor text to avoid confusing users.
Ekta Chauhan
