Google Cache - what circumstances result in this?

[Mokita]

Search for a term or phrase - click on one of the results and find nothing related on the page. So, thoroughly puzzled, you look at Google's cache and up the top it says:

These terms only appear in links pointing to this page:

It is not only very annoying, but seems to be a form of spamming - because the page is no use if the search term or subject is not mentioned.

If it is spamming, how do they achieve it and why does Google play along?

[g1smd]

It occurs when the OLDER version of that page USED to have those terms on the page, but now no longer does so. You'll usually find that the SERP has that URL tagged as a Supplemental Result for at least some searches that you do that return that URL as a match.

That is what I term a "historical supplemental".

There aren't any other pages that have that text that link to the page either, unless you count the link in the Google SERP itself. The error message is not giving the correct response.

[WiseWebDude]

Yea, I've seen that as well, BUT I hope they figure it out and keep using anchor text as that is, I've found, the best way to tell a search engine what the link is pertaining to. I HOPE they don't stop using them because of spammers. Please, spammers, at least give us a break on this one.

:)