What anchor text should I use?
This is one of the most asked questions regarding SEO, and it’s not surprising. Get it wrong, and the search engine algorithms that police the internet will hand you a heavy penalty. Get it right, and you will be on the first page of results pages, boosting everything from lead generation to sales.
With so much at stake, it’s easy to see why individuals and businesses are always searching for tips for anchor text optimization. However, when you find them, you need to know which hacks to use and why. After all, SEO tips aren’t all created equal.
Here is the article by AAM Consultants with four powerful SEO tips for anchor text optimization that everyone should understand.
#1: Keep The Anchor Succinct
While there isn’t a limit to how many words you can choose, and it is true that longtail keywords and phrases are useful, the best option is to ensure that your anchors remain succinct. This is essential for several reasons, including the fact that it mimics users’ searches. How often do you write out a full sentence on Google?
However, the most potent reason to keep your terms and phrases succinct is that it encourages people to click on a link. Wordy anchors are like wordy web pages – people bounce off them very quickly. It’s due to boredom, as they don’t have time to sit around and wait for a detailed explanation.
Instead, they want short and snappy hyperlinks that compel them to take action. All you have to do is consider the most concise way to explain the page you’re linking to. This should help you to stay on-point.
#2: Remain Relevant To The Linked Page
A keyword will link to a page that you want to promote, or that you want to use to enhance your digital presence on the web. But, there are rules to the game, such as being relevant. Search engines reward links with better relevancy signals as they add value to users and the internet.
For instance, Google will rank a page about beer higher if it links to a brewery, rather than a pet store. Although the algorithms that decide which pages are suitable and which aren’t use different methods to rank relevancy, a prominent feature is for them to pay attention to the anchor.
In the search engines’ eyes, this is a significant indicator. As a result, a term that appears irrelevant might be docked points, even if it adds value when you delve deeper into the subject matter.
#3: Avoid Using The Same Anchors For Different Content
You’ve done your research and learned that a handful of particular words and phrases are used regularly. Therefore, you want to implement them throughout your strategy to secure the best results. It makes sense, yet it also raises suspicion from search engines. To them, it appears as if the links are spammy.
And, if you think about it, it’s pretty apparent when the same word or phrase crops up across your content and website. With this in mind, it’s imperative to switch-up your anchors to ensure your SEO strategy appears natural and organic. Doing this isn’t a walk in the park, not when you know that particular terms guarantee results.
Still, you can tweak them to create variations of your main anchors. For example, “dog training” works as “excellent dog training tips” or “training for dogs”. Indeed, Google and Co. love variations of keywords since they are fantastic ways to say the same thing and remain relevant.
#4: Match The Anchor To The Category
Anchors are different depending on the category. A prime example is a generic blog post. Typically, bloggers will use words that relate to the page they are linking to, also known as a target anchor. Therefore, it’s ideal for blog posts and informative pages.
On the other hand, a target anchor wouldn’t be used for a list. In this case, it would almost certainly be a brand name. As a result, any list should leverage a branded anchor to appear natural and stand out from the crowd. In forums, you tend to find that URLs or naked anchors are very common.
As you can tell, there is a host of methods, and they all depend on the category. By tailoring your anchor text to the platform, you will receive more clicks.
Takeaways
Anchors are confusing, especially when people overcomplicate matters. The good news is, you can keep everything simple by being concise, staying relevant, avoiding repetition, and matching the phrase to the audience.
Follow these best SEO tips for anchor text optimization to enable your business to grow and expand.
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