Have you ever wondered what makes you go to the page you want when you click on a link on a website? In simpler terms, what tells your browser where to go? Answer: Anchor text !
You may or may not have come across this term. But surely you are familiar with how it works.
Anchor text is the word or phrase that appears as a link on web pages. In other words, the word or phrase that when you click on it, you will be transferred to another page.
For example, if I want to direct you to the first page of Google in this article, I can use this sentence: To search for more information, you can refer to the first page of Google . In this sentence, the first page of Google is anchor text that directs you to the main page of Google.
What is anchor text?
Anchor text is clickable text that is located in a hyperlink.
Anchor text is not just a simple way to create links. In fact, it plays a very important role in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and User Experience (UX).
If you want to know more about the science of SEO, you can read the article What is SEO below.
The importance of anchor text in SEO
Anchor text is one of the most important factors in search engine optimization (SEO). This factor is important for several reasons:
- Relevance to the topic: Search engines use anchor text to understand the topic of the linked page. For example, if I use the SEO course anchor text in an article about SEO training, Google will notice that the page linked to is related to the topic of SEO training.
- Increasing the ranking: Using anchor texts related to the keywords we want to rank for can help improve the site’s ranking in search results.
- Creating link structure: Anchor texts help search engines to better understand the structure and relationship between different pages of a website.
- Increasing credibility: External links with related anchor texts can help increase the credibility and trust of search engines in your site.
To learn more, you can read the article What is Domain Authority ?
The impact of anchor text on user experience
- Ease of navigation: clear and expressive anchor texts help users to easily find the pages they want and move through your website.
- Making the content more attractive: Using attractive and relevant anchor texts can encourage users to read your content and click on your links.
- Increased interaction: suitable anchor texts can make users interact more with the content and spend more time on your website.
Important points in choosing anchor text
Now that you know the importance of anchor text, it is better to be careful in choosing it. In the following, we review some important points in choosing anchor text:
- Use of related keywords: As we said before, anchor texts related to target keywords can help improve site ranking.
- The naturalness of the anchor text: trying to use too many keywords in the anchor text can be detrimental to your site. Try to write anchor texts naturally and related to the text. What is keyword stuffing article ? You can also read below.
- Diversity in anchor texts: Using diverse anchor texts can help make your link profile more natural.
- Using descriptive anchor texts: Instead of using general anchor texts like “click here”, use descriptive anchor texts like “read more” or “download file”.
- Use of branding: In some cases, the use of the brand name as anchor text can be useful, especially in links that lead to the main page of the site or other important pages.
- Avoid Spam: Repeated use of the same keyword as anchor text can be seen as spam behavior and harm your SEO. Always have variety and use different adjectives and expressions.
Types of anchor text
Anchor texts are divided into several different categories, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. Let’s take a look at the most common types of anchor text:
1. Exact Match anchor text
This type of anchor text is exactly the keyword you want to rank for. For example, if you want to rank for the phrase “buy books online”, your anchor text will be “buy books online”.
Example: If you want to direct the user to a page that talks about buying books online, you can use this anchor text: ” Go here to buy books online .”
Or, for example, if you have a website about website design, you can use keywords such as ” site design “, “web design”, “professional website design” and … as anchor text.
This type of anchor text can help increase page rankings, but should be used with caution to avoid possible penalties from search engines.
You can learn more about the Google penalty here .
2. Partial match anchor text
In this type of anchor text, a part of the keyword or key phrase is used in the link. For example:
- Designing store websites
- Buy the best mobile phones
- Learn SEO
Using partial anchor text can help diversify links and reduce the risk of getting penalized for repeatedly using exact anchor text.
3. Branded Anchor Text
In this type of anchor text, you use your brand name or your website domain. This type of anchor text helps to increase the credibility and branding of your website.
Example: suppose the name of your website is Kitab Sera. In this case, you can use the following anchor texts:
- Bookstore website
- bookshop
- Sera online store
4. Descriptive Anchor Text
This type of anchor text contains phrases that describe the content of the landing page.
For example, “Go to this page to see the latest shoe styles.” This type of anchor text helps users understand what content they will be directed to when they click on the link.
5. Neutral text anchor (Naked Link)
This type of anchor text only contains the URL of the website. For example, ” www.onlinekhadamate.com ” is used as a link. This type of anchor text is less attractive and is usually used in certain situations.
6. Image Anchor Text
In this type of anchor text, instead of using text, you use an image to link. When the user clicks on the image, he will be redirected to the linked page.
Example: instead of writing the latest published books, you can use a photo of new books and assign the page link related to these products to it.
7. General text anchor
General anchor texts are words like click here, read more, or more information, etc.
Example: Click here to know the terms of sale .
8. Related Anchor Text (Related Anchor Text)
In this type of anchor text, keywords related and similar to the main keyword are used. This type of anchor text gives more variety to your link profile and helps to make links more natural.
Example: suppose you want to direct the user to a page that talks about e-books. In this case, you can use the following anchor texts:
- Download e-book
- Digital books
- Buy an e-book
9. Numerical text anchor
This type of anchor text uses numbers to describe the content of the destination page.
Example:
- 5 tips for SEO
- 10 SEO tools
- 3 ways to increase site rank
As a result, the correct selection and use of different types of anchor text can help optimize SEO and bring a better user experience.
In any case, diversity and naturalness in the use of anchor texts are very important to avoid any unwanted penalties from search engines.
In the end
Anchor text is a very important part of SEO and user experience of your website. By choosing relevant, natural and diverse anchor texts, you can help improve your site’s ranking in search results and increase organic traffic.
Remember that choosing the right anchor text is a skill and science that can be gained with practice and experience. I hope this article has helped you to better understand anchor text and use it correctly.