How To Tackle Anchor Text

Best SEO practices have long said that anchor text should be relevant to the page you are linking to, not just generic text. But getting anchor text right takes more than picking a relevant key phrase. How can you make sure you write and use it correctly? This post explains.

What anchor text is and what it looks like

Anchor text is the clickable text in a link. In this sample line of HTML code, the anchor text is the bold part: <a href=”http://www.abcdefghjklmsite.com/”>ABC Website</a>. Search engines use anchor text as a clue about what the linked page is about, so it still matters wherever links matter. In the past, repeating the exact keyword in anchors was one of the easiest ways to rank. Today it is one of the easiest ways to look manipulative.

Penguin changed how Google treats manipulative anchors

Before the first Penguin update, the common practice was to point hundreds of backlinks at a page using the identical exact-match keyword, and it worked. Google then began targeting artificial, spammy or low-quality link building meant to game its results. Since Penguin 4.0, that system has been part of Google’s core algorithm and runs continuously. Google also says it is now better at simply ignoring spammy links, but a pattern of unnatural links can still cause problems.

Google analyzes a site’s link profile, meaning all the links pointing to it. Say your page is optimized for “home renovation.” If nearly every link to it uses exactly “home renovation,” that looks engineered, and it can hurt you.

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A natural anchor profile is mostly branded and varied

Google has never published a “correct” percentage for each type of anchor, so be wary of anyone who claims a magic formula. What a healthy link profile looks like is easy to understand, though. When other sites link to you naturally, they mostly use:

• Your brand or business name
• Your plain website address (a naked link)
• Generic phrases such as “click here” or “this article”
• Partial phrases and descriptive variations that fit the sentence

Exact-match keyword anchors are only a small part of a natural profile. The more your links look like they were earned by useful content, the better.

Where to use descriptive anchor text

You have much more control over anchor text on your own site, and descriptive anchors help both visitors and search engines:

• Use clear, descriptive anchors for internal links, such as “link building services” rather than “click here”
• Write anchors that make sense on their own to someone who scans the page or uses a screen reader
• Vary the wording across pages instead of repeating one phrase
• For links you earn from guest articles, partners and press coverage, let the other site decide how to describe you

Avoid link tactics that exist only to create links with keyword-rich anchors, such as profile links, forum signatures, sidebar or footer links on unrelated sites, and bulk directory or press release submissions. Google’s spam policies cover these schemes.

What to do if your anchor text looks over-optimized

If you think an unnatural anchor profile is holding your rankings back, here are the steps to take:

• Remove or edit links with over-optimized commercial anchors where you control them
• Ask sites to change the anchor when you can reach them, and use Google’s disavow tool only as a last resort for links you cannot remove
• Earn more relevant, high-quality links through useful content, partnerships and PR
• Build genuine brand mentions, which naturally bring branded anchors

Sound confusing? Fret not. When you hire an online marketing company with specialization in SEO, you can leave getting anchor text right to the experts.