Anchor, or “link” text, is a clickable hyperlink that can be included naturally in your content to take your reader to another page of your website.
Anchor text is usually easy to spot, as it will often be highlighted blue, which is standard practice on the web. However, if you were looking to draw more attention to a certain link, you can often change the colour and add an underline using HTML code.
These hyperlinks are important for users and SEO (search engine optimisation), as it helps the reader (and Google) understand the context of the anchor text. The text should give users a good indication of the topic of the web page they’re being directed to.
A bad example of anchor text would be a hyperlink that simply stated: “Click here!”. This gives the reader very little context, meaning they will be less likely to click the link.
Alternatively, if you were looking to offer your reader helpful insight on a particular topic, the link text may say suggest something like: “Should SEO be included on every page of your website?”*
Already, this appears more natural on the page, and helps both the reader and the search engine understand the content of the web page they’re being directed to.
Anchor text overload
While anchor text can be useful in helping visitors navigate your website, just like keywords, you don’t want to overuse them. If your content is stuffed full of link text pulling your readers in different directions, it can become quite overwhelming, and will likely result in your visitors going elsewhere for a more user-friendly experience.
Here at Engage Web, we keep up to date with the best practices in content and SEO. Speak to a member of our friendly team today to learn more.
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