Google's Mueller On First Link Priority & Link Obfuscation
Google Search Advocate John Mueller advised against over-engineering website HTML to manipulate 'first-link priority' for SEO purposes. He suggested that such tactics are likely unnecessary and could lead to unintended technical issues.
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Understanding how search engines process links is critical for web developers and marketers, and expert guidance helps avoid ineffective or harmful optimization practices.
John Mueller responded to a plan to hide homepage links from Google in hopes only one internal anchor text would count, known as "first-link priority."
SEJ STAFF Matt G. Southern 12 hours ago ⋅ 4 min read SEJ STAFF Matt G. Southern Senior News Writer at Search Engine Journal Bio Follow 180 READS Google Search Advocate John Mueller responded to a plan to hide a homepage button from Google in hopes that a better-worded link further down the page would count instead. He suspects the person behind it is overthinking it.
The r/bigseo thread starts with a question about a homepage that links to the same services page twice. The first link is a 'Services' button near the top, while the second sits further down in an FAQ, worded the way the person wants Google to read it.
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