Glossary
What is a contextual link?
A contextual link is a link placed inside the main body text of a page, surrounded by related words, rather than in a navigation menu, sidebar or footer. Search engines use the surrounding text to understand the link, and readers click contextual links more, so they tend to be worth more than boilerplate links.
Why placement matters
Google has described treating links differently depending on where they appear. Boilerplate links, repeated in a footer or sidebar on every page, carry less weight than a link a writer placed in a paragraph about the topic. The words near the link add meaning beyond the anchor text.
Contextual vs boilerplate
| Contextual | Boilerplate | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Main content | Nav, sidebar, footer |
| Repeats on every page | No | Yes |
| Context | Related text around it | None |
| Clicks | Higher | Lower |
Directory listings
A directory listing sits in the page's main content, with your description around it, so it behaves more like a contextual link than a footer link. A listing with a full, specific description gives search engines more context than one with only a name and URL.
Example
A blog post explaining how to automate launches mentions a tool in the third paragraph with a sentence on what it does. That single link sends more visitors than the same site's sitewide sponsor link in its footer.
FAQ
Are footer links worthless?
Not worthless, but usually weaker, and sitewide footer links to unrelated sites can look manipulative.
Do contextual links need keyword anchors?
No. Context comes from the surrounding text; brand anchors are fine.
Is a directory listing a contextual link?
It's in the main content with a description around it, so it's close to one.