Best Practices for Anchor Text Optimization in 2019
Anchor text optimization is one of the most critical factors in higher search engine ranking. Follow these best practices and guidelines to optimize results.
As you might already know, links are the lifeblood of SEO. The more quality links you can get pointing to your website, the more relevancy signals that your site has for targeted keywords.
But the use of spammy links and black hat SEO strategies can hurt your website more than it could benefit it. You must stay within the best practices and employ anchor text optimization techniques with creativity. This is the only way you can guarantee that your efforts will pay off.
Importance of Link Building
To succeed with search engine optimization, link building is a must. The use of anchor texts is one of the most important strategies you will learn when doing link building. But before delving into that, it is important to look at just how important link building is for success.
Based on one million Google search results, links came out as the most important factor that impacted rankings. Google has declared links as one of the top three ranking signals that they employ. Google’s algorithm is therefore founded on links. With the arrival of algorithm updates including Google Penguin, it is not just about the number of links but the quality of those links, as well. There should be a balance of the two if you want to hit your search engine ranking targets.
If you have been working in SEO, you are familiar with the term ‘anchor text’. This is one of the most important elements you must master when doing SEO, especially link building. It refers to a word or phrase with a link inserted in them. The text could point to an internal or external link. But how does your anchor text selection impact your SEO strategy?
Anchor Text Categories
To help figure out the best anchor texts to use, here are some categories you can employ:
- Branded Anchor Texts – This type of anchor text contains your name or brand name in it.
- Naked URL – This refers to a clickable link that shows the actual URL it is pointing to.
- Website Name – This type of anchor text shows the name of the website it is linking to.
- Blog or Page Title – This type of anchor text provides the name of the blog or specific post that it is linked to.
- Targeted Keywords – This type of anchor text optimizes keywords that you wish to get ranked for.
- Long-tail Keywords – This type of anchor text uses keyword variations of your targeted main keywords.
- Image – You can also use an image to serve as your anchor text. You can visit the link by clicking on the image.
- Generic – This type of anchor text is placed anywhere there is a call to action (such as visit here, read here, check this out, etc.).
Best Practices for Anchor Text Optimization
Optimize your anchor text for Google
Image source: Pexels
With more e-commerce websites emerging, it also means that the competition is getting stiffer for these website owners. Your ability to optimize anchor text will not only increase your search engine ranking but also boost your reputation as a website. Since trends are continually evolving, it is important to learn from this definitive guide on anchor text optimization to strengthen your online marketing efforts.
For more success, you can follow the best practices on anchor text optimization listed below. As with any other SEO strategy, the use of anchor text will require your own trial and analysis. You must determine what anchor text strategies are most beneficial with the best results for you.
Consider AI when developing your anchor text strategy.
The advent of artificial intelligence has impacted how queries are done and analyzed on search engines. This has resulted in a shift in anchor text usage. To succeed with anchor text optimization, you must tailor your content for faster AI scheming and fetching. You must take voice queries into account, as well. For example, many voice queries will be in the first-person POV. Optimize your anchor texts and keyword use to match those queries.
Refrain from over-optimization.
If Google ranks websites according to the number of links and keywords, wouldn’t it make sense to use as many anchor texts as you can? Not exactly. Google even states that over-optimization can cause your website to get penalized. Refrain from using this strategy because Google algorithms are focused on content and pages that offer real value. When you over-optimize your anchor texts, it is a blunt manipulation of backlinks. Spread out your use of anchor texts and keywords evenly throughout different pages in your website. In some cases, partial match keywords are preferred over repetitive usage of main target keywords.
Be careful with associated links on your anchor text.
The focus for developing a powerful anchor text strategy for 2019 is not hinged solely on the keywords used. The link where the anchor text is pointing to is also vital. The most powerful strategy for using anchor text is to use deeper links. This means that the links must point to inner pages and not just your home or main category pages. According to Google, this type of link would seem more natural and relevant to the content. The same applies to external links that are added to your website. Authority sites will continue to impact your own website’s search engine ranking if you link to them.
Revolutionize your approach to keyword research.
Keywords are the heart and soul of your anchor text strategy. For 2019, you must re-evaluate your approach to keyword research. The use of latent semantic indexing (LSI) anchor is considered the best approach for higher success. LSI refers to keyword variations that are closely similar to your targeted keywords. By using LSI keywords, you 1) keep the content natural, and 2) get ranked for keyword variations.
Summary
SEO is constantly evolving, and if you want your website to rank well, you must be quick to adapt. Your ability to employ anchor texts hinged on optimized keywords can be your ticket to higher rankings. But there is no guarantee when it comes to SEO–especially with the arrival of AI and voice search. Being resilient and adaptive are musts in this fast-paced era. It also pays to observe the best practices listed above so you can maximize the performance of anchor text. You can click here for more info on this topic.