What Are Shallow Links (and Should They Be Avoided)?
Everybody knows that more is always better when it comes to high-authority backlinks. Respectable inbound links can make all the difference to an SEO strategy.
Meanwhile, low-authority backlinks (from sources of minor to no relevance) are of no value whatsoever. Google does not penalise sites with many questionable inbound links but warns they are a waste of time.
However, aside from these two more commonly known types of backlinks, a third often goes overlooked. The debate regarding the potential value of backlinks has raged for some time, particularly regarding their impact on organic search marketing.
What Is a Shallow Link?
A shallow link is a backlink that channels traffic directly to your website's home page. For high-authority backlinks to be effective, they should point to a specific page relevant to the content they appear in.
For example, a product page, a blog post on a similar topic, etc.
With shallow backlinks, visitors are taken from whatever they read to a site's main page—something that, on the surface, does not seem like a big deal.
After all, if your online business is relevant to the site/post sending traffic your way, the page it lands on is not a big deal.
You might think so, but this is not Google's stance.
Links of Little to No Value
From a perspective, the issue with shallow links lies in their lack of defined value.
Consider a typical example of shallow links:
You are reading up on the best ski boots before an upcoming holiday.
You will find a helpful blog post on a high-authority website that lists the top 10 products within your price range.
You decide one of the options is perfect for you, and you click on the link accordingly.
But instead of being taken straight to the product page, you're sent to the winter sports brand's homepage.
Now, you must navigate again to find the product you sought.
This may not be how it goes down with all shallow links, but Google's value is dim. They want to make it as straightforward as possible for people to find exactly what they want and prefer more precise and defined backlinks.
Are Shallow Links Harmful to SEO?
On the plus side, there is no evidence (anecdotal or otherwise) that shallow links are harmful. This stands to reason, given how they can and often do hold value to those using them.
For example, if you mention a brand or a seller in a blog post (rather than a specific product), where is the harm in linking to their main page?
Still, all signs point to a linking strategy that may be great for channelling organic traffic but does not hold any specific SEO value. Similar to backlinks of questionable quality, shallow links will not harm or improve your SEO campaign.
Therefore, it is a judgment call for publishers and web admins. If your main objective is channelling traffic to your homepage, go for it. But if you want every backlink you establish to boost your SEO efforts, consider pointing them to more specific pages on your website.