Anchors Aweigh!
From a search engine optimization perspective, there is hardly something that peeves me more than seeing a blogger use the phrase “click here” as a live link, and, unfortunately it is quite common practice. When was the last time you typed “click here” into Google as a search phrase? Probably never, so why would you optimize your website with that keyword phrase? Let’s go over anchor text 101 and improve your blogging skills in the process.
First and foremost, a definition – anchor text is the word or words used to create a hyperlink to another website.
Now, why should I care what word or words I use as anchor text? That’s an easy question to answer, because the search engines do. The search engines use anchor text to determine the subject and relevance of web page. To make the most of this relationship, you have to be smart about the word/words you choose as your anchor text. You don’t want your website to be associated with the phrase “click here” because that will do nothing for you. Instead, incorporate some of your targeted keywords or use your company’s name as the text phrase for a hyperlink to your website.
Yet, don’t go overboard. Of course “Angelina Jolie” may be one of the most commonly searched phrases, and it would be great to target all of that traffic. But, if your site really has nothing to do with Angelina Jolie, the search engines will not be happy that you are trying to fool them and will probably punish you for it.
Blogging is a fantastic way to drive more traffic to your website and increase search engine optimization, as long as you are making the most of all the opportunities a blog has to offer. Adequate use of anchor text is a big step in the right direction, but isn’t everything. We would love to help you get comfortable with the fine science of blogging. Contact mRELEVANCE for more information.
Comments
March 15th, 2010 at 8:14 pm
I actually do not like click here for both style and now I understand SEO issues but feel compelled to use it on very important links that I would really like my readers to see. (relationship issue for writing versus SEO)
Because a certain number of my readers do not understand highlighted text is it less aggregious to include the entire phrase including Click here?
Charlie
March 21st, 2010 at 4:40 am
Charlie: Including the words click here in any sort of anchor text will not help your SEO. It is the age old question of readability versus functionality. Perhaps you could try something like this: For more information on “What You are Linking” click here and only link the words in the quotes? Do you think your readers would understand to click there? (hee hee versus here).
May 25th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
While “click here” is useless from an SEO perpective, if your blog or website actually wants the link to be clicked, if for example it leads to a sales page, then “click here” will increase your conversions.
Some websites are all about page views, and for those sites optimized anchor text rules. But many, many more websites are focused on conversions, and for them “click here” leads to higher revenue.