We ran a head-to-head: boilerplate link vs editorial link to the same page. Editorial won by 5 positions.

We ran a head-to-head: boilerplate link vs editorial link to the same page. Editorial won by 5 positions.

Two near-identical target pages, same site, same authority. Target A: linked only from a sitewide 'recommended' template block. Target B: linked from genuine in-content editorial mentions across 12 relevant articles.

Same number of linking pages, roughly. The difference was placement and context.

Over 10 weeks: Target B climbed to position 6 for its head term. Target A crawled to position 11 and stalled. Same content quality, same external profile.

Google discounts boilerplate. A link that appears in a repeating template across 500 pages is treated as one template element, not 500 votes. A contextual link inside relevant prose is an editorial endorsement.

Still think a link is a link? Placement is the whole game.

Would your money page survive if you stripped its template links?