Anchor text is one of the most overlooked elements in a solid SEO link building strategy. However, it might be the single most important element in achieving high rankings in the search engine result pages.
What is anchor text? It is simply the visible text of a hyperlink.
For example, if I was linking to a site such as the UFC’s homepage, I might use the name UFC for the link like this.
However, I could also give it a more descriptive link such as ’The World’s Premiere Mixed Martial Arts Organization .
Anchor text is a very powerful tool. There are tons of examples of this. A simple one is to go to Google and search for the term “click here”. Adobe Reader’s website is number one on the search engine result page out of over 1 BILLION LISTINGS!!!
Did Adobe optimize their site for the term “click here” in the search engines? Absolutely not. Nowhere on the page will you find the phrase “click here”. It is not listed in the meta keywords or the domain name. How is this possible? The answer is simply anchor text. There are thousands of links from all over the internet pointing back to this page with the phrase “click here” in their anchor text. In this case, it is anchor text alone that is resulting in Adobe claiming the top spot in search engines.
How can your SEO strategy benefit from using anchor text? All good SEO strategies should begin with keyword research. Lots of it. This research will help you to identify the best keywords or keyword phrases to try to increase your rank for. Your links should include these keywords and phrases in their text. When many links are pointing back to your site with a particular word or phrase in their anchor text, Google feels this shows authority on the topic.
There are many different methods to use for link building. You might exchange links with other webmasters, use article marketing, submit your site to social bookmarking sites and online directories, or even buy links. Whatever methods you are using, it is vitally important that you are getting the full benefit of each of your links by utilizing the best anchor text.
When implementing your SEO plan, be mindful that using the same exact text for each and every one of your links is probably not the best method. This may be looked upon by Google and other search engines as suspicious or unnatural. Try targeting multiple keywords with your links. You will want to use both singular and plural of terms that potential visitors might be searching for. Try to use closely related variations of words, such as “coach” and “coaching”.
A well planned out linking strategy for search engine optimization begins and ends with keyword research. From there you use the power of anchor text to achieve high rankings in the SERP’s.
