For a backlink to be crawlable by Google, the linking page should use a real HTML anchor with a working href. Write anchor text that describes the destination, then add a rel value when the link is paid, user-generated, or one you do not want to associate with. These steps make the link’s markup clearer; they do not guarantee that Google will crawl, index, or rank the destination.
What HTML makes a backlink crawlable?
A backlink is a link on one website that points to a page on another website. In HTML, the basic structure is an anchor element, written as <a>, with an href attribute containing a resolvable web address:
<a href="https://example.com/relevant-page">descriptive destination text</a>Google says it generally can crawl an anchor when it has an href. The address can be an absolute URL, as above, or a valid relative path. See Google’s SEO Link Best Practices for Google.
Markup that only acts like a link through an event handler, or an <a> element without an href, is not reliably parsed as a link by Google. If a link matters, implement it as a standard anchor rather than relying on a click event or visual styling.
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How should you write backlink anchor text?
Anchor text is the visible text between the opening and closing anchor tags. Make it concise and specific enough that a reader can understand what the destination contains. Google recommends that good anchor text be descriptive, reasonably concise, and relevant to both the page containing the link and the page it points to.
For example, link words such as “HTML link attributes guide” when they accurately describe the destination, rather than using vague text such as “click here.” Do not describe a page as offering something it does not. When an image is the link, Google may use the image’s alt text as the anchor text, so give the image an accurate description.
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Which rel value should a backlink use?
Choose a qualification based on how the link was created and whether you want to signal an association with its destination. An ordinary editorial link does not need a rel value under Google’s guidance. For other relationships, use the appropriate value:
| Link relationship | Suggested markup | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary editorial link | <a href="https://example.com/relevant-page">descriptive text</a> |
No qualification is required when you expect Google to fetch and parse the link. |
| Paid or sponsored placement | rel="sponsored" |
Use for links created as part of an advertisement, sponsorship, or other paid placement. |
| User-generated link | rel="ugc" |
Use for links in user-generated content, such as community contributions. |
| Link you do not want to associate with or have Google crawl | rel="nofollow" |
Use when the other relationship values do not apply and you do not want to signal an association with or invite crawling of the destination. |
Google prefers sponsored for paid links, but says nofollow remains acceptable for them. Multiple rel values can be combined when appropriate. For details, consult Google’s guidance on qualifying outbound links.
Complete HTML examples
These examples show the markup for each relationship. Replace the sample destination and text with a real URL and an accurate description of the page.
<!-- Ordinary editorial link -->
<a href="https://example.com/relevant-page">descriptive destination text</a>
<!-- Paid placement -->
<a href="https://example.com/paid-placement" rel="sponsored">sponsor description</a>
<!-- User-generated link -->
<a href="https://example.com/community-resource" rel="ugc">community resource</a>
<!-- Link you do not want to associate with or have Google crawl -->
<a href="https://example.com/untrusted-page" rel="nofollow">contextual link text</a>What correct backlink HTML does—and does not—mean
A valid anchor, useful text, and an appropriate qualification give Google a clearer link to parse and a more accurate signal about the relationship. They do not promise that Google will crawl or index the destination, or that the backlink will improve its rankings. Google may also discover a destination by other means even when a link uses nofollow.
Before publishing, check that the link has an href that resolves to the intended page, that its visible text reflects that page, and that any paid or user-generated relationship is qualified appropriately.
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