The SEO Value of Keyword Rich Anchor Text

Keyword rich anchor text is often undervalued in the search engine optimization process, yet beneficial links that emphasize keyword phrases are essential for increasing page rankings. When introducing links in a body of text many settle for a simple “Click Here” or “Learn More.” However, these terms limit the potential value of the link in search engines, and remedying this by inserting a targeted keyword or phrase will benefit not only you, but also those navigating your website. These keyword rich links simplify your website by informing both visitors and the search engines on exactly what information will be found on the linked page.

Interlinking pages within your own site is crucial, but implementing keywords or phrases in those links is basically of equal importance. For instance, when helping visitors find an article on Blue Traffic about duplicate titles, a greater impact can be made by inserting a descriptive phrase in the link, “Read our recent article on fixing duplicate page titles” rather than something like, “Click Here to learn about…”. Both links direct visitors to the same page, but the former link will be deemed more valuable by search engines. Visitors will also appreciate the clarity of the link destination, and they won’t bounce around “Click Here” pages that direct them to pages they wouldn’t have visited intentionally.

Establishing these keyword links is vital to the prosperity of websites, but the technique must be used with prudence in order to avoid being considered as spam. For example, a search engine optimization company located in Omaha, Nebraska would not want to stuff their web pages with “Omaha search engine optimization specialist” links that direct visitors to lots of different pages on the same site, as this strategy would not only fluster visitors but could also confuse the search engines and have a negative effect on their rankings for that phrase.