Target URL
A target URL is the specific page on your site that you want a backlink to point to. Choosing the right one decides where link authority lands and which rankings improve.
Selection Criteria
Every backlink points somewhere. The target URL, also called the destination URL or landing page, is the page on your site that receives the link. Choosing it is one of the first decisions in any link building campaign, and it shapes everything that follows.
Start with ranking goals. Which pages do you want to rank higher, and for which keywords? A target URL should be a page with real potential to rank, where more authority could make a difference. Pages sitting on page two for profitable terms are often the best candidates, since a few strong links can move them onto page one.
Check relevance to the linking page. A link works best when the target URL matches the topic of the referring page. A guest post about email marketing should link to your email marketing guide, not your homepage or an unrelated product.
Consider search intent. The target page should match what people searching for its keywords want. A guide on types of search intent explains how informational, commercial and transactional pages differ. Links cannot make a page rank if it does not satisfy the search.
Make sure the page is ready. Before building links, confirm the page is indexed, loads quickly, has strong content and does not redirect. Sending links to a weak or broken page wastes them.
Look at what competitors link to. Ranking pages for your target keywords often have links pointing to specific guides, tools or data pages. Matching or beating that kind of page gives your links somewhere useful to land.
Plan internal links. A target URL that sits well within your site structure, with internal links to and from related pages, spreads the value it receives.
Money Pages vs Other Targets
Target URLs fall into a few broad types.
Money pages are the pages that generate revenue directly: product pages, service pages, pricing pages and category pages. They are often the pages you most want to rank, but they are the hardest to get links to. Publishers rarely want to link to a sales page, and too many keyword links to money pages can look manipulative.
Supporting content includes guides, tutorials, comparisons and blog posts related to your money pages. These are much easier to link to naturally. Building links here, then linking internally from them to money pages, passes authority to the pages that sell. This approach is closely tied to building topical authority, where groups of related pages support one another.
Linkable assets are pages created to attract links, such as original research, free tools, statistics pages and in-depth resources. They often earn the most links on a site and act as hubs for internal linking.
The homepage naturally attracts branded links, mentions and directory listings. It does not need most of your deliberate link building, since it usually gains links on its own.
Deep links point to inner pages rather than the homepage. A healthy profile has a large share of deep links spread across many target URLs, which looks natural and helps more pages rank.
A balanced strategy targets all of these. Many SEOs send most deliberate links to supporting content and linkable assets, a smaller share to money pages, and let the homepage collect branded links naturally.
Anchor Text Considerations
The anchor text should fit the target URL.
Match the anchor to the page’s topic. The words in the link should describe what the reader will find after clicking. A link to a guide on running shoes might use “how to choose running shoes” or “our running shoe guide.”
Vary anchors for each target. If many links point to the same page, use a mix of branded, partial-match, naked URL and generic anchors. Exact-match anchors should stay rare, especially for money pages.
Watch the overall pattern per page. Track the anchors pointing to each important target URL. If one keyword phrase starts to dominate, shift toward branded and descriptive anchors.
Keep the sentence natural. The anchor should read as part of the writing. Editors are more likely to accept, and keep, links that fit smoothly.
Avoid mismatches. A keyword-rich anchor pointing to an unrelated page confuses readers and sends a mixed signal to search engines.
Consider the target’s role. Supporting content can take more descriptive anchors, while money pages benefit from more branded and partial-match anchors to stay safe.
Performance Tracking
Track how each target URL responds to the links it receives.
Monitor rankings for the target’s main keywords. Rising positions after a campaign suggest the links are working. A regular SEO ranking report makes this easy to review over time.
Watch organic traffic and conversions. Rankings matter only if they bring visitors and results. Track sessions, leads and sales for each target page in your analytics.
Record the links themselves. Keep a list of links built to each target URL, with dates, anchors, referring pages and costs. This shows which placements correlate with improvements.
Check referral traffic. Links that send real visitors deserve a note in your records, whatever their effect on rankings.
Review page metrics. Changes in URL Rating or Page Authority for the target page show whether its link strength is growing.
Allow time. Links can take weeks or months to be crawled and reflected in rankings.
Adjust based on results. If a target URL does not respond, look at content quality, search intent and competition before adding more links. Sometimes the page needs work, not more links. Clear SEO KPIs help you decide when a campaign is working.
The target URL decides where your link authority lands. Choose pages with real ranking potential, match each link to a relevant target, keep anchors varied and track results so every link supports the pages that matter most.