Now imagine you\u2019re human again (doesn\u2019t have to be for long, if you\u2019ve really enjoyed being a spider bot).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every time you add a link, you create a bank of information for the bots. Most of that information is being used for the page you\u2019ve linked to, it\u2019s true. But some of that data inevitably reflects back on you and the words you\u2019ve used to describe stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So in effect, you can use linked anchor text to create a clearer map (for the bots) of what your article is about. Which makes it easier for search engines to rank your article, when it’s the best match for a particular searcher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That doesn\u2019t mean hammering your main keyword over and over again, by the way. That\u2019s not a good look (and it\u2019s been a bad idea since Google\u2019s Penguin Update<\/a>, back in 2012). Think of your anchors and links as providing context<\/em> – is this an article about how avocados might be going out of fashion in posh restaurants? (I\u2019ve no idea if that\u2019s true, because I\u2019m not very posh.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n An article like that might have links to interviews with top chefs, a couple of restaurant sites, and maybe some surveys from food publications or from food retailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those links are all hints to the bots about what kind <\/em>of article you\u2019ve written about avocados. Because there are plenty of different things to talk about with avocados. And if you were looking for something avocado-related, you wouldn\u2019t just google \u2018avocados\u2019 and expect to find the information you need.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might want a recipe. You might want to rage against the avocado-munching wokerati. Or you might be trying to figure out a low-impact lifestyle, and you\u2019ve heard that avocado farming wipes out shedloads of bees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever the angle, you\u2019ll want your anchor text to help summarise it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, what\u2019s the best way to use anchor text?<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll stick with our avocado theme, and our imaginary article about avocado\u2019s culinary decline, while we look at the different ways to create effective anchor text. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Try and choose an anchor text style that gives your reader a good idea of what they can expect from the link, as well as providing the most relevant keyword\/contextual opportunity for your web page or article. These anchor text types (and their uses) are relevant for both internal and external links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exact match. <\/strong>Your anchor text reflects the content (and primary keyword) of the destination page. \u201cIn a recent Bobby Garibaldi interview<\/strong>, he said he\u2019d never touch another avocado.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Partial match.<\/strong> The anchor text uses a keyword variation of the destination page\u2019s primary keyword. \u201cIn a recent interview with top chef Bobby Garibaldi<\/strong>, he said all avocados should be sent to the moon in a rocket.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Branded. <\/strong>The brand name of the destination website is used as anchor text. \u201c<\/strong>In the recent Asda<\/strong> interview with Bobby Garibaldi, Bobby became upset, screaming, \u2018Why is it even called a pear?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Image. <\/strong>For linked images, alt text should be used to describe the destination page. This is also best practice for alt text accessibility<\/a>. Obviously, this image isn’t linked because Bobby Garibaldi’s actually fictional (gasp). But if he did exist, he’d look a bit like this;<\/p>\n\n\n\n Generic. <\/strong>Yeah, don\u2019t do this. \u201cYou can read the recent interview with famous avocado-hating chef Bobby Garibaldi – just follow this link<\/strong> to read more.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember back when you were a spider, up at the top of this blog? The words \u2018this link\u2019 aren\u2019t going to provide much context, are they? It\u2019s 2023, nobody needs you to explain how links work. And Google\u2019s John Mueller recommends not using generic anchors<\/a>, so there\u2019s that, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n *an unfortunate side effect of talking about avocados in an SEO copywriting blog – I\u2019m likely to start ranking randomly for avocado-related searches now. Which is of no use to either avocado lovers or me. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Nevertheless, it\u2019s still better to use a clear, concrete example, rather than taking my example as an opportunity to shoehorn in extra keywords about anchor text and SEO. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019d just make the whole thing harder to read (and even less interesting than the average article about SEO, which is already pretty uninteresting, let\u2019s face it). Reader first, always.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Anchor text isn\u2019t going to make-or-break a website, but it\u2019s worth understanding how it works – especially for writers looking to observe SEO best practices. But first, a little roleplay. Imagine you\u2019re a web-crawling spider bot. You\u2019re crawling your way down yet another blog about avocados.* You\u2019re two paragraphs down and you hit an external …<\/p>\nThe different types of anchor text<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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