Linking Same Page using Important Keyword as Anchor?

[welcomecure]

I have came across sites that links to same page from a textual part using their topmost keywords. What is the benefit of linking same page using anchor as keywords to the same page? Does it give SEO benefits?

[seomozinator]

Hi there.

The benefit of any anchor text is to "tell" search engine bots what that page is exactly about. So, if you have link with "cats" as anchor text, linking to page about persian super white and fluffy cats - there is no much benefit, because Google can understand what pages are about in general without any help from anchor texts. However, if you use "persian super white and fluffy cats" as an anchor text, linking to that page, this is where the difference comes in. Even though google understands that that page is about cats, you might help search engine bots to understand the specifics of that page.

Just do go overboard! Anchor keyword stuffing is as bad (or even worst) as page keyword stuffing.

here is a whiteboard friday on this subject: https://moz.com/blog/all-about-anchor-text-whiteboard-friday

[welcomecure]

My question is: I have a page as site.com/cats.html & i make a link on the page as "cats" having the same page url as site.com/cats.html i.e. the same page. Does this have any SEO value. I have seen my competitor doing so & many other famous sites too.

[seomozinator]

Internal links from the page to the same page? 0.o

Common sense tells me that there is no any common sense behind that Again, internal links are for informational structuring mostly! Dont be that "one guy" from this video of Matt Cutts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ybpXU0ckKQ

So, to sum up: Google doesn't pay much "ranking" attention to internal links, it uses them to get structure of the website + a little bit for deeper understanding what page is about, not how to rank it. It's bad UX also. So, no, there is no any SEO value.

If you have some data to prove me wrong - I'll gladly change my mind