June 30, 2006
Search Engines & People Care about Anchor Text in Links
ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 10:22 am
Anchor Text
When you code a link to another blog or website, the link anchor text is the name or description that you give to the link. The anchor text is the word or words that people click on to take them to where the link leads. These visuals show a sample link code and how the anchor text would look in to your readers.
<a href=“http://[URL goes here]“>Link Anchor Text</a >
would look like this to readers:
Link Anchor Text
Some people use the name of the site or blog as anchor text. Some use words such as here or click here instead.
Search Engines Care about Anchor Text
It’s good SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to anchor your links with strong descriptive text. Strong anchor text is a sign of a blogger who knows best practices, who understands how search engines travel links, and who cares about readers. Aaron Wall, who wrote the book on SEO, recommends avoiding click here anchor text, except in the rare case when it can’t be avoided.
Search engines pay attention to what you write in your anchor text. Spiders use anchor text as they follow links. The anchor is an opportunity to show how your post relates to the information you have linked to. It’s a way underscore to the relevancy of what you have been saying. Take the time to be descriptive when choosing text to anchor your links.
It’s also good be inconsistent when you name multiple links to the same source.
Why?
Search Engines Like Human Links
Search engines know that humans aren’t consistent, and they don’t like to reward paid for manufactured links. So they use consistency one of many tests that a link was made by a human links and didn’t come from a link farm. See the anchor text I used to link my blog Letting me be . . . random wondering and philosophy in the sidebar as an example. As I travel the blogosphere, I’ve seen my same blog linked to as Liz, ME Strauss, Letting me be, LMB, and Miz Liz. Those are all human links. A machine would never change the original title.
People Care about Anchor Text
Readers care about anchor text too. People use anchor text to know where we’re sending them. I know I like more information than a sentence that says the equivalent of Look here. A little descriptive anchor text is worth the trouble to win the confidence of readers. Adding an alternative title that makes links accessible to all readers is also easy and a strong brand builder.
These little time investments could be just the nudge we need to stop and consider whether the link we’re planning is worth the investment of making it. The Checklist for Linking to Quality Blogs is a great test for making sure the link will add value and serve your readers.
There I go again talking about readers. In the end everything comes down readers, doesn’t it?
Brand you and me.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
If you’d like Liz’s help with your business, click on the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.
Related posts
How to Code Links for Sidebars and Posts
How to Code Accessible Links–Part 1
How to Code Accessible Links–Part 2
How to Code Accessible Links–Part 3
Filed under Basics, Branding, Marketing, Successful Blog, Tech/Stats | 8 Comments »
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8 Comments to “Search Engines & People Care about Anchor Text in Links”
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Stiennon said
Really good points. But when linking to a news article at CNN or USAToday do you really want to help their SEO? Or are you saying it does something for your own SEO to have descriptive anchors?
-R
ME Strauss said
Stiennon,
As I understand it, it would help your SEO by showing a relationship between your blog and theirs. Google keeps a secret list that they call your “neighborhood.” It’s a list of blogs that it considers to be like yours. That would begin to put you in the neighborhood of CNN or USA Today, I think.
I know that I’ve had the Boston Globe show up in my neighborhood and that’s the only way that I can think of them being like me.
I’ll look up the code to check it.
ME Strauss said
Here’s what you do to check your neighborhood at Google. Note there are no spaces, That’s the part I always forget.
related:yourdomain
as in
related:successul-blog.com
Keith Dsouza said
Yes Liz, very true.
Earlier i used to link like Go [link]here[/link] to check out things, which is a very bad practice.
Yes I learnt it, and now I just link like, check what [link]Liz Strauss has to say about Linking[/link], its …
Well this specifically is both readable friendly and yea its very search engine friendly
.
Google loves my site, it’s just dosen’t stop sending me visitors
.
ME Strauss said
Hi Keith,
You’re turning into a very discriminating, sophistacted blogger who has so much to offer the folks you link to. I’m glad you’re stopping to think before you link. Your blog deserves only the best!
Successful Blog - 6+1 Traits of Search Engine Relevant Content said
[...] 5. Relevant content is accessible links with strong anchor text. Using anchor text and accessible, descriptive title tags with links show search engines and people how your links relate to the post or blog you’re linking to. Those few words underscore your relevancy. [...]
Jan the Fish said
Man must be very careful with links and anchor text. I don’t mind to use “click here” or “follow this link” or whatever because it is sign of naturally created links.
During last weeks I am starting to think that Google filters “suspicious” links and likes “simple” links much more. Simple links mean that the URL doesn’t have to acquire tons of links with relatively “important” anchor text, but it means that the URL has to have link popularity in general instead. For example, 100 links with 60+ different anchor texts.
Am trying to prove this idea and somehow it works. It can’t be considered as spamming or blackhat, since it is pure natural.
My experience roots in links to one of my articles… It ranks 1-st in Google for one interesting phrase, but 99% of links pointing to that article don’t contain any “good” anchor text. However, the article has significant positions and brings me tons of traffic.
It’s also matter of source… The place where a link comes from. If it’s a new site then it’s weight isn’t considerable.
ME Strauss said
Aw Fish I’m not sure I fully ujderstandi what it is that you are saying. I can tell that you are experimenting on some of the simpler forms, but what you are exactly doing isn’t come quite through. I’d love to have you come back to explain.