What is anchor text anyhow
The anchor text is the text that appears highlighted (based on the website customization, design will vary) in a hypertext link that when clicked up opens up a link. Depending upon where the link is taking the reader, it could open in the same window (typically for internal links) or open in a new tab/window (preferably for external links– links that take the reader from your website).
Why should you care
Believe it or not, anchor text actually has some search engine optimization (SEO) value. I have mentioned before that SEO is about keyword rich content, meta titles and descriptions and links. So, with that being said the anchor text is a piece of the linking. (Notice in the above few links, I linked to other blogs on my website that can provide further value and used keyword rich anchor text versus saying ‘click here to learn more about what meta titles are’ and inserting the link in the word click here.)
When you link to another page, whether it is on another page on your website or to another website, you are providing value. You are giving the reader additional information and not making them work for it (hellooo!) and you are telling the search engines, hey, here is more information about this topic that can further inform the reader. Search engines are happy when you provide the reader with more value, that is relevant with this specific content. (You’ll understand the point on this below.)
Do’s and don’ts of anchor text
- When using anchor text for linking DO:
- Be natural in your use of anchor text
- Make sure that you are linking to another page or another website that is relevant to your content
- Ensure when linking from your website you are
linking to sites that are relevant and valuable, not crap sites that look bad as it can devalue your ‘credit’
- When using anchor text for linking DON’T:
- Use the same keyword/phrase anchor text (ie business coach, business coach or Houston dentist, Houston dentist, etc) – use variation and other keyword combinations
- Link to the same webpage various times to try to get more ‘link juice’ as search engines will only give ‘credit’ for the first one, so the other is literally a waste
- Stuff your anchor text with spammy keywords. Remember to be natural!
- Overdo it. You really don’t need every other word linking. Wiki is like this….but it is more like a dictionary so unless that is what you have, I wouldn’t suggest it.
- Use ‘Click here’ unless click and/or here are one of your keywords and ummm, I am pretty sure it isn’t. You are missing out on opportunity to get a keyword or two in there and you are really telling the reader what they are clicking to when they click on the link.
Hopefully this has helped explain a little more about anchor text, how to use it and some best practices. Also note that all links in this blog is using anchor text properly so take a look at some of mine for reference. Of course, if you have any questions, please contact me (versus putting link in click here to contact me) and I’d be happy to help.
~Kristen
Such a great post. CLick here is so tempting and logical even. However, you explain this all really well.
Thanks Renee, glad that you see the value… and while I get it on the click here, it isn’t really giving you any value. Thanks!
Thanks, Kristen–you made this understandable for me. Not an easy feat! LOL. But all of that makes perfect sense!
YAY! Score on the understanding! So glad it makes sense Susan
Thanks for the reminder on this Kristen. I tend to get lazy and click here is REALLY easy (but ineffective too!!). Time to get creative and pay attention!!
Actually Deb, click here requires that you put in more words… if you just highlight the words in the sentence that relate to the blog, done.. versus adding, if you want more info click here… extra words and time. 🙂
Great suggestion about anchor text! I like that you mentioned to be sure what you link to is a good reliable source. Some sites are just not worth linking to them. I like to look for sites that go into depth on a particular smaller topic I just want to include but not going to go into depth about in my post. It gives the reader more insight on another smaller topic. Thanks for sharing. Always a pleasure.
Yes, be sure if you are linking externally, that it is noteworthy… some are just not worth linking to indeed. Thanks Sabrina!
Kristen, I must admit that I am very lazy on this topic. It’s just so easy to use Click here. I wouldn’t think it would matter if it is in a private group, for example, because we’re not trying to draw people to it. That’s my excuse, anyway! Let me know if that’s wrong, please. I think you could provide more info on this subject if you gave actual examples of paragraphs with well chosen links in them. For another blog post, maybe?
I hear you Beth, but like I indicated to Deb, creating and extra sentence – click here for more info actually takes more time…. because if you are linking to something else, likely you are already talking about that topic.. use words IN the paragraph. I updated my blog post with an example outside of the 6 links that were already there. 🙂 Thanks!
Oh boy, more info for me to learn about – and always good from you Kristen. I used to think or maybe heard that you don’t want to have external links because you are taking those precious readers away from your site. So this one is an area I am still digesting. 🙂 And anchor text….geez, I am not sure using right. I do get the Click Here – good one to know and will keep that in mind. All of this is such a big deal more than I had originally realized. Thanks a bunch!
External links are okay if there is good reason Teresa, but when you do so, be sure it opens in a new tab so the reader still has your website open on another tab! 😉 Yea… SEO is a very indepth thing and I try to make it easy. 😉
I am slowly learning SEO and have just recently started really making sure I am not using ‘click here’. sometimes I find it hard to smoothly transition to what I want them to link to, but working on it and now I know how important it is.
Likely you are already providing the information they should be linking to by writing about it… so just find the right text to link, and you are good to go Karen! 😉
These are great tips on using anchor text. I still sometimes get lazy and use ‘click here’ but mostly link to the proper title of a post. I noticed here you linked in a much more natural and relaxed way which made it irresistible to click on the links and gain more wonderful information (your tips for meta titles and description were also really helpful). Thank you for sharing this – I love learning new things.
So glad you saw my links and even clicked through and learned a bit, thanks Tamuria!
This is good advice. It will step up the professional look of my blog (no more elementary school text for me….jr high all the way now baby….soon high school). Added bonus is that it helps with SEO.
Glad you are moving on up to HS Christy! lol
Thanks Kristen! I’m just learning how to use anchor texts, and I’ll try to keep all this in mind. Honestly, I never learned how to reference another post with “Click Here,” so I guess it’s a happy case of I didn’t know what I didn’t know! However, the concept of anchor texts having a real SEO value is something I’d ever thought about, either. Whenever I read your posts, my learning curve is a vertical line!
Awww, glad you never used it Joan but glad you are learning more things as you read my stuff.
Well that was some very interesting stuff, Kristen. Click here seems so vanilla now. Fleshing out good anchor text is the way to go. Thanks for that great tip! We’re all looking for better SEO and must choose carefully.
I know right Meggie, vanilla. LOL
I don’t think I’ve ever used click here since I knew that I’d want search engines to both read/scan the website URL and also read/scan the title and the anchor text. My titles and anchor text are not always keyword rich though.
Another reason I like using a descriptive one is because it tells my site visitors where they are going. (I do need to make finding another assistant a priority because I don’t give a darn about SEO any longer… other than making sure the Yoast plugin indicator is ‘green’)
That’s exactly the reason Rachel, explain where they are going. Sounds like you do need an assistant or let me know as I do offer SEO services. Having the Yoast green isn’t necessarily the end all, nor completely correct. I wrote a blog on that you may want to check out.
I’m guilty of this. I’m going to go back and fix the most glaring ones. I don’t have it all over the place, but I sure know that I have done it a few times. EEP!
Now you know Heather… glad you will be working on fixing it. 😉
I’m getting better at using anchor text, But honestly, when you’re putting your post together there are so many little things to make sure you include that sometimes it becomes a project, not a post. Anyway, my rant. FYI, I got to the end where you write about your own anchor text examples, and I saying to myself – where??? At least on my screen your text color and your anchor text color are so close in shade that I initially could not distinguish between the two, or my eyesight is not what it use to be.
Hmmm, interesting Joyce. I will reconsider my bright purple link color… thought it was pretty dark. I’ll look to change that for the folks that have visual impairment. This is another reason to have very visually appealing blogs in so many ways.
This is a great post on what to do and what not to do with anchor text, Kristen! In my blog posts I generally hyperlink a phrase that relates to what I am talking about in the piece, which if I am correct, is what you are saying is the good way to link if that contains strong keywords. In my newsletter, I often will share a snippet of information or of my post and then write something like: “To read the entire post you can find it Here”, and then hyperlink the word “here”. Because it is my newsletter, I think that is an okay time to use click here. I don’t think I’ve ever used a “click here” in a blog post, so maybe something in me just knew it wasn’t the most effective way. 🙂 Thanks for the confirmation on how to do it right!
Here is the same thing as click here Bev. Why not, in your newsletter, to read more click in the link for the full article on ‘whatever your topic is’? Be creative if you need to put direction but most folks get that it’s a link.
Aw geez. I do that “click here” business. Maybe I’m under-estimating the technological savvy of my readers, but I fear some won’t take action because I don’t specifically ask them to do so. Am I an idiot? 😉 How about if if my anchor text includes the keyword as well as asking them to click? Is that OK or is that even dumber?
Wiki has been around for decades and links have been around.. if folks don’t know to click on the text that looks a little different, then they probably won’t know how to find your contact us section or how to place an order online. Make sure your link text is easy to see and go from there. I don’t necessarily think you need to say ‘click here to read more on business coach tips’ but maybe if you are insistent, which you are… click here for more ‘coaching tips’ and anchor that.
Yes. It makes all sense. SEO is something that every blogger must understand, at least basics of it. I am glad you touched this topic. Great article.
Glad to help Sonja! Thank you
Thanks Kristen! In my blogs I tend to choose anchor links correctly, but am realizing there are pages on my website where I say click here. I haven’t worked on my site in the last week or two. Good thing to go back and take care of. Appreciate the tips!
I understand that sometimes you may not think of a way to put better anchor text but usually there is a way. Glad to help Brenda
Great content! Thanks so much for educating me on “click here”.
Why thank you Catherine, glad to help.
Thank goodness I stopped doing that, thanks for reminding me Not to go back to it!
Awesome Sonya.. great job!
This is a great post. I Iike the way you explained Not to use click here as an anchor text, but keywords. I want to make sure my readers are getting valuable content so I use a few keywords in my anchor texts.
Thanks Latasha, glad you see the value.
This makes so much sense. Common sense. I will most definitely give more thought to how I implement keywords and links. Thanks for the tips.
Awesome Melanie, and I agree.. common sense! Thanks!
Hey Kristen,
Thank you for the education on why you should NOT be using “click here” as an anchor text and the reasons behind it….makes so much sense! I tend to do that more often than I should and after reading your post I will STOP (unless it is my keyword lol ) Sharing value is what it is all about and by sending your readers to another bit of information that can help them by using the correct anchor text and that relates to what your post is all about, well, then that is key and very important 🙂
Great post!
Yes, you got it Joan… very good and glad to help you.
Wait wait, but what about CHECK IT OUTTT or CLICK MEEEE or RIGHT HERE GET YO INFO???
LOL just kidding – I even customize my anchor text in emails at work! Do I get points for that?? :-p
Oh Natalie, what am I gonna do with you! lol Yes, you get bonus points!
Hi Kristen,
You are so right about the anchor text. So for example, when I visit a page and I want to talk about Past Life Readings and Regression Therapy , the author of the post and readers as well can engage to the conversation.
“Click here” can be tempting but it sounds like an advertisement instead of having the text coming natural. Also, the owner of the blog may decide to delete the comment because he / she will consider it as a spam. Great post for those who are still beginners when it comes to SEO. I am still new too , so than you for the useful advice!
Zaria
Yep Zaria, you nailed it and did it perfectly. Thanks for stopping by.
All I do in life is SEO work when I come home from my full time job to promote my local business.
Chris
Owner CEL Financial Services
Registered bonded California CTEC Tax Preparer
That’s awesome Chris, what is it that you do to optimize your website?