When it comes to keeping your website among the top searches knowing the right methods and techniques can help. One such method you should know about is Anchor Text Optimization. Having the proper anchor text distribution can make or break your position on search engine results pages (SERPs). However, most people need clarification about the purpose of anchor text. Another common question asked by clients is which anchor text should be used. This article will provide a complete insight into anchor text optimization's do's and don'ts.
What is Anchor Text?
When you go through a website's content, you might come across certain words that redirect you to a different page. That clickable and visible text you see in a hyperlink is known as the anchor text. Anchor text will direct you to another webpage. For search engine optimization, including anchor text is vital because it helps search engines recognize what a webpage is related to.
Example of Anchor Text
All of you are aware of the Penguin update; before that, anchor text links in keyword-rich content were one of the finest ways to keep a website in the top search engine results. Acquiring links from related websites helps get the top position on search engines. Therefore, use sites with higher authority and make the content keyword-rich anchor text related to your business or products. This is all it takes to get you in first-page rankings and keep you there for a while.
Tips to Optimize Your Anchor Text
When you add anchor text to your website content, some practices can help you achieve the best results. Follow these tips to optimize anchor text.
Add Relevant Anchor Text
Anchor text that you create on your web page should be related to the web pages you are linking to. Adding irrelevant anchor text can make your pages keyword-rich, but chances are users, and search engines will not understand such anchor texts. The relevancy is determined by the related content of anchor text on the other page and the subject of the source page. Link relevancy is one of the many metrics used by search engines to determine the ranking of a webpage.
Use Concise Anchor Text
When writing an anchor text, there is no pre-determined length limit. However, it is a good idea to use a brief link text. Two main factors determine the quality of your used anchor text. First, what is the most accurate and concise way to describe the linked webpage? Second, are you using a catchy phrase or word to encourage your customers to click the link? Providing long sentences will make your anchor text a lot more monotonous.
Keep the Anchor Text Natural
Try to keep your tone natural when adding anchor text to your content. Some people focus on adding a lot of link texts which is not a good strategy. You must focus on adding only an appropriate number of anchor texts. Keep the keyword density in check while building content for your page. If you try to stuff keywords, it might get you at a potential disadvantage from Google. Another thing you should avoid while writing anchor text is using the same text repeatedly. Using the exact anchor text repeatedly will be spammy for search engines and your users.
Track Your Anchor Texts
Testing and tracking the working of your anchor texts is a good technique. Doing this lets, you track how you use anchor texts on your website. It is a little demanding task, but it can help you change your SEO according to the results. You can use various tools, such as Ubersuggest, to analyze if you are using the right SEO approach for your anchor texts. It can help you know what sort of anchor texts are used by other websites. You can also do this process by yourself, but it will be a little time-consuming. Searching your competitor websites is a good start for optimizing the anchor texts.
Don'ts for Anchor Text Optimization
Now you have learned some tips that can help you optimize your anchor texts. Now, let's see what you should not do with the link texts on your website. If you find a keyword-rich anchor, you might be inclined to use it excessively. Your users will not be attracted to repetitive text, reducing the number of website visitors. Another problem is your content will look a bit stuffed and unnatural.
Some phrases such as"read more" and"click here" make your website look dull and unappealing. Now, these phrases do not deliver the purpose of your link text. So, why would your customers waste their time clicking boring things with no context?
Anchor text is an integral component of your search engine optimization strategy. It will help if you use the techniques to make these keywords and link texts useful. All you need to do is remember the given tips, and you will see a marked improvement in your website. Just keep in mind the users of your webpage and create content accordingly. Deliver precise, keyword-rich, and relevant text to your website visitors.
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