Google Search Advocate John Mueller responded to a scheme to hide a homepage fastener from Google successful hopes that a better-worded nexus further down the page would count instead. He suspects the personification down it is overthinking it.
The r/bigseo thread starts pinch a mobility astir a homepage that links to the aforesaid services page twice. The first nexus is simply a ‘Services’ fastener adjacent the top, while the 2nd sits further down successful an FAQ, worded the measurement the personification wants Google to publication it.
To get the 2nd nexus to “win,” they scheme to make the much salient fastener extremity being a link. It would still activity erstwhile personification clicks it, but the page’s codification wouldn’t telephone it a nexus anymore. That leaves the FAQ nexus arsenic the only regular nexus connected the page pointing to the services page.
They asked the thread whether it would make immoderate visible difference.
What Mueller Said
Mueller replied successful the thread:
“I fishy you’re overthinking it, Google has believe dealing pinch tons of websites truthful I wouldn’t expect you to spot immoderate visible alteration there.
That said, if you wanted to research pinch this, I’d propose doing thing much on the lines of utilizing CSS / JS to position things connected the page, sloppy of wherever the nexus is placed successful the HTML. That reduces the imaginable antagonistic side-effects of “breaking” the HTML (turning links into buttons, aliases similar, ugh) while still letting you alteration the position successful your page’s HTML code.”
He didn’t opportunity whether the first nexus wins. His reply is astir the size of the effect and the costs of chasing it.
Why Anyone Would Try This
The thought down the scheme is called first nexus priority. It says that erstwhile 1 page links to different page twice, Google sounds the words successful the first nexus and ignores the second. If that were true, the fastener would triumph and the FAQ nexus would beryllium wasted.
Google has ne'er intelligibly defined “first nexus priority.” SEJ’s ranking factors section connected first nexus priority traces the thought to a 2008 Rand Fishkin station and finds thing to support treating it arsenic a norm you tin build on. Mueller has said earlier that Google hasn’t defined the behavior, and that immoderate anyone figures retired astir really Google does it coming isn’t needfully really it will activity tomorrow.
The thought keeps circulating anyway. SEJ’s Roger Montti covered a akin interest astir anchor matter dilution past April.
What Google Sees
Google tin tally JavaScript, but that doesn’t mean it treats everything clickable arsenic a link. A nexus written the normal measurement puts the reside wrong a nexus tag, which tells Google wherever it goes. An reside parked successful immoderate different constituent for a book to drawback isn’t written arsenic a nexus astatine all.
Google’s links champion practices documentation says Google tin mostly only crawl a nexus erstwhile it’s an <a>element pinch an href attribute, and that it can’t reliably extract URLs from elements that behave for illustration links done book events.
So the fastener doesn’t move into a nexus pinch its words hidden; it stops being a link. The FAQ nexus is unaffected, and visitors clicking the fastener extremity up successful the aforesaid place.
What Mueller Suggested Instead
His proposal leaves the fastener alone. You move the FAQ nexus earlier successful the page’s codification truthful it comes first, past usage CSS to put everything backmost wherever visitors expect it. The codification bid changes, the page looks the same, and some links enactment links.
Google’s Martin Splitt made the aforesaid constituent successful an SEO 101 session years ago, wherever his guidance was to usage due anchor markup and debar buttons and click handlers arsenic navigation.
Why This Matters
Internal anchor matter has been an SEO lever for years. That’s why a scheme for illustration this sounds reasonable. It besides intends your homepage’s main fastener stops being a link, and Mueller wouldn’t expect you to spot thing for it.
Looking Ahead
First nexus privilege has gone unconfirmed since astatine slightest 2008, astir arsenic agelong arsenic group person been moving tests to pin it down, and 1 Reddit reply won’t extremity that. Anyone who keeps testing it now has Mueller’s type to activity from, which changes the bid successful the codification without taking a nexus away. He gave nary denotation that changing that bid would nutrient a visible difference.
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