How many times have you clicked on a text as you are reading an article, only to be whisked away to a different website? Chances are, you weren’t even mad that it happened, because it brought you to a page that holds the solution to all of your problems. What you just clicked on was an anchor text, and for the owner of a business, it’s an essential addition to a guest post.
There are millions of businesses out there, passing the hundreds, and about 28 percent of their operations are conducted online. You’ll be competing with a lot of people there, so unless you find a way to draw them in your direction, you might not be able to break that ice. The anchor you use for the backlinks plays an important part in that, and this article should teach you exactly how you can do that.
What Is an Anchor Text?
An anchor text is a clickable word that has a hyperlink inserted into it. Depending on the style of the webpage, it can either be underlined in blue or fully colored. When you click on that text, you are directed to a different page, either to a provider’s website or to an authority resource that is used to support your claims.
Anchor texts are important because they help search engines understand exactly what the hyperlinked page is about. Used correctly, they can increase your website traffic, elevating your SEO ranking. They also improve user experience, as they offer clear expectations of what the linked content answers.
Types of Anchor Text
Anchor texts may have one main purpose, but they come in various forms that could address different goals. You can opt for the following:
Exact Matches
An anchor that is an exact match will have exact keywords for a link that you are trying to direct your readers to. For example, if your web page talks about “Forex trading tips,” then you could use this exact anchor to insert your link. Bear in mind that this type of anchor should be used sparingly, as its overuse could trigger search engine guidelines.
Partial Matches
As the name suggests, partial matches hold similarities to your target keyword but hold a few differences. For instance, instead of regular “Forex trading tips,” you could have “Forex trading tips for beginners” or a similar variation. These keywords offer more flexibility and are often easier to add naturally within the context.
Branded Anchor
Here, the anchor will be your brand name. This type of anchor is good if your purpose is to build brand awareness. When you combine it with other types of anchor texts, then Google often views them positively, improving your website visibility.
URL Text
Also referred to as “naked URL anchor,” this text will feature the actual URL as your anchor text. The best part of this type of anchor is that you won’t have to think much about it; you just encourage your readers to follow it. This type of anchor is best used in comments and forums, as it can be difficult to insert it naturally through the article.
Generic Anchor Texts
These anchor texts are often a call to action, taking the form of phrases such as “read more” or “click here.” While they don’t do much for your SEO or keyword searches, they are user-friendly and trigger the readers to take action and click the backlink. If you add it to a guest post on an authority website, the readers should trust you enough to follow through.
Best Practices for Inserting Anchor Texts
Inserting anchor texts effectively throughout an article is more or less an art. When adding them correctly, they can significantly improve the SEO of your website. Here are some success practices for you to keep in mind:
Use Them Naturally
Many wrongfully believe that if they stuff as many anchor texts as possible within the text, they will convince the readers to click on them. The truth is actually the opposite. While stuffing keywords and anchors won’t get you banned, it can affect your credibility in the eyes of the reader. Make sure that they fit naturally within the context and that they are not too close to one another. Try to balance them as much as possible.
Be Descriptive and Relevant
Next, when you use an anchor text, you should be descriptive and relevant. The words you choose need to give the readers an idea of what information they will find once they click on the text. Whether it fully or partially matches the content, Google needs an idea of what’s in there so that it can rank your website accordingly.
Keep Context Relevance
The link in the content is not the only thing the anchor should match; you need to keep it relevant to the context of the paragraph. The anchor shouldn’t look like it was dropped there for SEO purposes, because it will stick like a sore thumb with your readers. Instead, try to build the idea of the paragraph around the anchor, leaving no doubt that the words belong there.
Vary Your Anchor Texts
Using exact matches is also something that you may want to avoid when adding anchors, as it can look spammy. Instead, you should create a mix of partial, exact, branded, and generic anchors, keeping the content breathable. Even if you are linking to the same page, you should keep the contents varied.
Link to Quality Content
When linking, make sure that the content is qualitative and directly relevant. It can be your web pages or even a couple of journals or authority articles that support your idea. Putting random pages there won’t do you any good, as Google will judge the article based on the links you put there.
The Bottom Line
Mastering SEO anchor texts is not a hard job, but it does require a bit of conscious effort. You should make sure you’re consistent, and natural, not overstuffing the content. Remember that your readers are there to get information, not to be blasted with links every three sentences.