Keyword Phrases In Linking Text by Ken McGaffin, 27 October 2005
Often simple things really matter. And the use of keywords in linking text is one of those simple things that turn out to be hugely important. Linking text, sometimes called anchor text, is the clickable text that takes people to another page or resource. You need to choose that text carefully.
Key points
- Keyword rich text is more attractive to humans
- The text that links to a particular page gives Google and other search engines clues
- If your title is meaningful and useful, another webmaster is likely copy it, or at least edit it rather than go to the trouble of creating their own linking text.
- Control the external text that links to you
Often simple things really matter. And the use of keywords in linking text is one of those simple things that turn out to be hugely important. Linking text, sometimes called anchor text, is the clickable text that takes people to another page or resource. You need to choose that text carefully.
If I was refer people to this article I could use the linking text, ‘Latest article’: the text is meaningful, clear and wouldn’t need to change every time I published a new article. However, I’d be missing out on some important opportunities. Using the actual title of the article, ‘Keyword phrases in linking text’, is a much better option.
The importance of keyword-rich link text
It’s important to place keyword phrases into linking text for two reasons:
- Keyword rich text is more attractive to humans. A casual reader may see ‘Latest article’ and say so what? By using the title ‘Keyword phrases in linking text’ I’ve told the visitor what the article is about and offered two hooks that they might be interested in - ‘keyword phrases’ and ‘linking text’. As a result the click through rate will be higher.
- The text that links to a particular page gives Google and other search engines clues as to what the page is about. ‘Latest article’ provides little information while the actual title of the newsletter contains at least two important keyword phrases.
In highly competitive situations the extra ‘points’ that Google gives can mean the difference from appearing on the first page of results and appearing nowhere.
To embark on an effective link building campaign you must be aware of your important keyword phrases and incorporate them into your titles and linking text. You also need to influence the words external webmasters use to link to you.
Title text
Including keywords in title text is attractive to human visitors as well as being a fundamental search engine marketing tactic. Your title also has the opportunity to influence the words that an external webmaster may use when linking to your site. Title text is the tooltip that appears when you mouse over a link.
If your title is meaningful and useful, another webmaster is likely copy it, or at least edit it rather than go to the trouble of creating their own linking text.
Linking text
There are two types of linking text to consider - internal and external. As far as Google is concerned, internal and external linking text are both important.
The internal linking text that you use is completely within your control so you have opportunities to use keyword rich linking text. Yet many people overlook this and use lazy phrases such as ‘home’, ‘click here’ and ‘read more’. Avoid these phrases and use keyword rich linking text instead.
Introducing variety into linking text is also a good tactic. Good writing in English uses a variety of different ways to say the same thing and keep the reader interested. Likewise in linking text, use variety. This keeps readers interested and also provides additional information for search engines.
External linking text
This is the linking text that sits on external sites and links to your website. You may think that you’re at the mercy of other webmasters in how they link to your site, but there are many situations where you can control the external text that links to you:
- Reciprocal links where you can ask for specific linking text to be used
- Directory listings where you have editorial control and can specify the exact linking text that points to your site
- Listing on subsidiary and partner sites
- In bylines to articles that you publish where you may be allowed to specify not only the linking text but the text that surrounds the link
- Links that you buy will always allow you to specify linking text and will nearly always allow you extra descriptive text
After that you do depend on how individual webmasters decide to link to your site. The best way to influence this is to write good titles and linking text in the first place. Then all the webmaster has to do is to cut and paste.
Even if the webmaster decides to write his own text, what you have written will influence how he does that and at least some of your keyword phrases are likely to be included.
Finding Keyword Phrases
To help determine your most effective keyword phrases, you can use the excellent Wordtracker service. Initially, this may seem like a lot of work but the benefits can be tremendous. If you plan methodically and practice, using keyword phrases in your linking text will become second nature - and a highly effective way of engaging your website visitors and boosting your search engine results.
About Ken McGaffin
Ken McGaffin is an experienced internet marketing consultant. He has worked for major pharmaceutical companies, advertising agencies, government bodies and non-profit organizations.
28 comments
A great article. I already knew much of what you were saying , but too often dismissed it as it means more time and effort in contacting the many links I have made to change my anchor text. But i will change future links and try to change as much as I can of previous link text
How true. Also, adding linking text in Website navigation links is another powerful interest generating strategy. However, depending on whether an SEO was consulted before building the Website, this huge opportunity may be lost. The only way around that is a redesign that allows keyword phrases. For example, Websites that use one or two words (shorter) in their navigation links are losing out to Websites that use keyword phrases (longer) in their navigation. Regardless of whether navigation is slated to be placed on the left, right, or top of a page, keyword phrases are a must-have.
This is a great article, especially for a neophite like me. Our website actaully sells t-shirts and other cool stuff for students and fans where the mascot has horns ie longhorns, bulls, bison, vikings, horned frogs, etc. Coming up with creative keywords has proved to be challenging. thanks for the tips. I guess we better get "unlazy" and change the title of our home page from "home page" to something else. :)
Thank you for all the valuable insights I will have to think in an expanded way in the future. It is a lot like playing chess, you have to think five moves ahead to win the game!
Great explanation of the power of linking phrases. Our courses-now website providing on-line training and already makes use of this technique, with links such as "fund your training" and "course library". Something I have not realised before was that you could add Title text to links, (title pops up on mouse over). Thanks for the tip I will be trying it out!
Great article. Short and to the point. Even I can understand it :)
Excellent article, we already knew most of these methods as well, and using anchor text definitely helps with using your keywords and increasing page positions with msn, yahoo and of course google ;-)
BloggingFusion
Thank you for this great article! I have a website and several blogs. It looks like I have a lot of work to do to properly optimize my sites.
Grea article you explain well some basic priciples of link building, well done
Interesting stuff. Got me thinking as if I were Google; how would I rank a page? What would I look for? I hadn't thought about the impact that a link's title might have on the engines before. We should make better use of that...
This technic is also good for keyword density, but is more important for the 'INDEXING' issue. Thanks to this links (internal links), the other internal pages of your site can get easily and faster indexed by google.
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For better and quick indexing, a sitemap in your site is a must. Great article, btw.
How we would do with linked images?
"If keywords are the bread of SEO, anchor text is the butter" - Peter Egan
Thanks for a terrific article about this ever-so-important subject.
If keywords are the bread of SEO, anchor text is the butter.
Thanks for a terrific article about this ever-so-important subject!
Another good article full of sound advice. The interesting thing is with these techniques is they're free, make a dramatic difference to rankings but they're so often forgotten. This has reminded me to go back and revise, wherever possible, old link text placed in directories. Thanks - Ewan Kennedy.
What a great article. Easy to understand even for the newest of newbies.
A very good article, on the most fundamental part of SEO. Something that anyone can do aswell, you can be a complete novice and understand why this works!
Thanks for your article,the keyword phrases in the linking text would hlpe me a lot in my website SEO.
Great article, I'll be sure to send this link to my friends!
Ken,
This is a great article. Simple and Straight Advices.
Thanks.
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Yes, i agree in a whole. Anchor text should be choose wisely and should looks natural.
Very good article!
Good Information as usual!
Thanks
Really it is the intensive information on SEO/SEM
As always, it's the little things that often count a lot, and that end up being the things that most folks don't bother with.
Great article!
A very pertinent article. One thing I've changed in my link text is replacing the plural form of a keyword with the singular ( ' pashmina ' rather than ' pashminas ' ) as I realised that I was getting higher rankings for the plural, whereas the singular is actually searched for more often.
Terrific article. Thanks so much - I've learnt alot.