Are You Optimising Anchor Text Strategy for Excellent Website Performance?
The early days of SEO were pretty straightforward. Anything could be done with the website. In fact, you could quickly get top ranking effortlessly. Moreover, Blackhat SEO experts did everything imaginable in order to rank their site on Google. Some of the best techniques were keyword stuffing and creating spammy backlinks. But, slowly, things were changing. At the current stage, Google's SERP Algorithm cracks down on content quality, and those older SEO hacks have long been crumbled.
Details like Anchor texts have a significant role to play. Now, you may think, why? Well, we're working with a more intelligent and more complex algorithm. Currently, there are over 200 factors behind Google's ranking. The Core Web Vitals update states that websites must be fast-loading, stable, and secure. This means that sites must improve on-site experiences to rank alongside writing and publishing your content.
With Penguin bringing few changes over the last few years, the anchor text in the backlinks and internal links is pretty essential.
Remember, too much noise, and you'll upset the algorithm. Too little, and you'll disturb it. Therefore, a professional digital marketing company in London recommends having a delicate balance.
As a business owner, it's worth paying attention when you consider SEO the topmost priority. In this article, we'll focus on why you must optimise anchor text. At V1 Technologies, we focus on the core principle of SEO.
What is Anchor Text?
There's a good chance that your website uses anchor text regularly. Perhaps you may not even realise it. Anchor texts are clickable text, and you see them in a hyperlink. Take the internet as a highway while anchor text is like signs for upcoming exits.
You can send signals to both the website's user and search engines. When applied correctly, they connect you to a different lane. Anchor texts also play a vital role when users navigate the site. It gives the algorithm a good idea of who your content is relevant to.
When you click on the link, it takes them to the indicated page. If you ever dig into the details of URLs, you'll understand why brands need to focus on these simple elements.
Why is Anchor text important for SEO?
Google rocked the SEO world by releasing the Penguin algorithm. Then it was updated again. Due to these changes, anchor text quickly became the easiest way to determine how relevant a reliable website was.
Google also started using backlinks and its anchor texts to see if a website has been over-optimized. Besides, Google has optimised the Penguin algorithm multiple times; it's easy to presume we'll see even more changes in the future. Also, when the algorithm changes, brands see massive traffic dips.
Types of Anchor Texts
When it comes to SEO, experts from a digital marketing agency in London will leave no stone unturned. In the case of anchor texts, it shouldn't be surprising to know that there are many ways to create anchor texts. Now, this can be useful as well as useless.
Exact Match Anchor Text
Exact match anchor texts are when you use anchor text wording as the target keywords for the entire page. For instance, "Quality website development in London" as an anchor text can be linked to the landing page of a website development company in London.
Earlier, using exact matches several times guaranteed your post would do well. As of now, you'll get penalised.
Partial match Anchor Text
Partial match anchor texts include the keyword along with other words. Now, use "Try Website development at V1 Technologies" as the anchor text for a link. You'll find out that our experts from a digital marketing agency in London utilise these techniques the most in our articles.
It's a helpful method, especially when you can run it efficiently without coming across as spammy. Google can still follow the link and have a better idea of the content on the page without suspecting of trying to manipulate its algorithm.
Since this isn't seen as a manipulative linking practice, it's a highly recommended way to boost the page's authority.
Branded Anchor Texts
There are branded anchor texts that rely on brands' names to establish authority. You can simply include brands name such as "Ahrefs Site Explorer" or "Ubersuggests" Meanwhile, as an outbound link, this is a great practice. However, another safe and effective method is to build a more robust anchor profile.
A strong anchor profile signals Google that you're pointing towards high-quality services. You'll still need to find other brands to help you with all the link-building efforts. A professional digital marketing agency in London will never hesitate to link another brand, especially when keywords are attached to it.
Naked Anchor Text
Naked anchor texts are easy to use. However, it's not that effective. Its commonly used for sources such as an image or a quote. These are basically the URL pasted into a post in all its naked glory. For example, "as per V1technologies.com, high-quality website development needs proper understanding of specified business dimensions."
You can see that this doesn't sound good. It's pretty disruptive when you divert attention away to a reference suddenly. This might lead the visitor to believe you're not as technically included as you must be.
Generic Anchor Text
You may have come across a lot of these. Moreover, they make it easier to create content and prompt a call to action. If you want to draw your audience's attention to a credible source or valuable tool, then it's best to use this type of anchor text.
A repetitive" this page" and "read this here" link practice can get pretty dull. Moreover, it doesn't tell Google anything about the content you're linking to. The best thing here to do is highlight parts of the sentence and show users what they can expect to find once they click.
Image Anchor
Image anchor makes images clickable. They help users navigate in and around the site. Also, they create websites less accessible. Links to the image make your audience move to a new site, especially when they want to resize something to see it better or scroll through the post.
These are basically an approach with a clickable call to action button, similar to advertisements.
Anchor Texts SEO Best Practices
You have learned about various types of anchor text; now it is to learn how to use them for SEO.
Stay on topic
There are a lot of misconceptions regarding good anchor texts. But, in the case of SEO, relevancy is high on the list for being ranked by Google. Providing users with an irrelevant response may only cause a bad reputation in the long run.
The anchor text must include words and phrases that closely match the topic of your embedded link. For instance, if you run a company that offers website development services, you must add a link that connects with your service plan.
Select a word or phrase as the anchor text related to the content. Else, Google might hyperlink or penalise the site.
Incorporate variation
If you want an exact match, Google's spam filter will go off, and you may take a hit. You'll probably take a similar effect in case you always link to brand names. When developing a strategy, our digital marketing agency in London emphasises a unique and varied approach.
When on the home page, you'll be inclined to use 5 percent exact match, 20 percent phrase match, and 10 percent key phrases. Also, you must check out the competition range.
Test and track the Anchor Texts
Tracking how you use anchor texts on the site takes a lot of effort—however, it's the only way to test how they affect the SEO over time. Anchor Text Categorizer Tools are helping you fill in various details about the content, including the URL, page title, brand name, and keywords.
You can also go with different types of anchor texts other websites use in their links to your site. There are tools like SEMRUSH, which are being used by other brands when they link to your site. Anchor texts are mainly being used by Google as a signal content relevancy and domain authority.
With enough time and the right approach to backlinking, you have the option to build the best type of backlink anchor base for your brand. Here you'll see excellent results.
Conclusion
Anchor texts are vital. They may not tank the SEO on their own, but they are a ranking factor for SEO. Additionally, they have a significant impact on the reader's trust. Google has had anchor texts and backlinks on a close tab; as a result, it's a good idea to ensure you use the best approach for your SEO.
It's always good to implement a unique backlink variation strategy based on the research results. A professional digital marketing company in London will use the best tools and ensure that you don't miss any critical changes to the anchor text SEO efforts.
These are some tips that'll help you develop a robust strategy to boost your SEO.