This is the finale and you can read part one, two and three in this series at the link below.
You definitely want to make sure you understand why and how to optimize your anchor texts so you will reap the benefits from Google and other search engines. The benefit is targeted traffic and that's what you want from the search engines (mainly Google) and when you do what I have shared with you, targeted traffic from Google and other search engines is what you will get. Now I will say this to you.
Google cares about which sites you link to. If you link to a site that has bad information, promotes hate, or engages in spammy practices, they can penalize you.
Always check a site’s Alexa ranking and only linking to sites with a score of 100k or less is a smart practice.
Make Sure Anchor Words are Relevant. Anchor words should always describe what’s on the other side of the link. It's a promise to your readers.
Google uses anchors as information to learn what webpages are all about and how important they are so it can rank them in keyword searches appropriately. You definitely want to pick anchors that make sense for the link, and that will help create a positive experience for your readers.
Choosing random words for anchors just for the sake of diversity, it could end up qualifying as clickbait, and your readers won’t be happy; Google watches this too.
Using exact match anchors for internal links is a no-no. Google knows you might not have control over what other sites do, however you can control your own internal links.
If you use exact match anchors for internal links, Google will assume you are trying to game the system and penalize you. Instead, use related anchors, long-tail anchors, or generic anchors for internal links. It's okay to do it this way so you won't get in trouble with Google.
Randomness is good when it comes to anchor text. Your goal is to have:
30% to 40% branded anchors
30% to 40% partial match anchors
20% to 40% generic, related, naked, random, exact match, and other anchors
Nothing is written in stone here. Check out some of the top websites in your industry. See what their outgoing and incoming anchors look like so you can piece together an idea.
Image ALT tags are critical for several reasons.
They help visually impaired readers understand what an image is about
They tell the Google bots what an image is about
They function as anchor text
Image ALT tags should be highly descriptive and sound like a natural sentence. It used to be common practice to keyword stuff ALT tags, but Google quickly caught on, so keep your keywords to a minimum here.
Choose one main keyword and incorporate it into a descriptive sentence about the specific image.
Your job as a content writer is to pay attention to your types of anchor text, choose your words and the surrounding words carefully. As with most things SEO, diversity and moderation are key. Don’t keyword stuff, always diversify your types of anchor tags, and only link to relevant and reputable sites with quality information for your readers.
Terri Pattio
Social Media Strategist
Founder - Syndication Express
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