Before we discuss specific SEO techniques, it’s first important to understand ‘Anchor text’ and how to use it on your own site and how you would like other sites to use it when linking to you.
'Anchor text' is the word/words on a web page used to attach a hyperlink to. In other words, the phrase or expressions you click when following a link to another web page or website.
"wireless
camera" is an example where 'wireless camera' is what we call the anchor text.
The ‘anchor text’ gives the visitors to your site information about the content of the page behind the link.
Anchor text is important because it informs both human visitors and search engine robots what the target page is all about.
If you use generic expressions like "click
here" as your anchor text, you are telling the search engine that the target page is about "click here". A text link from one site to another should reference what the target page is all about. Search engines read the ‘anchor text’ and make the assumption that if you call the link ‘click here’ the page is all about ‘click here’s’. This is clearly not going to help with the
optimization of the page.
Proof of how important anchor text is that it’s possible to get a page listed in the top 10 on Google for a phrase that does not appear in the pages content. In other words, using anchored links from several high ranking third-party sites could push a page to the top of Google for the expression featured in the anchor text even though the page is neither about or features the anchor text expression in its content.
When asking sites to link to you, consider providing the link code for them. If you provide the HTML code so they can simply cut and paste it into their page, you get to choose your own anchor text. An example of the link code you might provide could look something like this:
<a href="http://www.pakatak.co.uk/camera/camera.htm">
Wireless Cameras</a>
Mix your text links up! Use different expressions so as to avoid over optimizing
any one expression.
Anchor text should be well utilized for your:
- Incoming links – links from other sites
- External links – links to other sites
- Internal links – links on your pages to other pages on your site
- Site map links – one page that links to every other page on your site
- Home page links – links on your home page to other pages on your site
Using Keywords in your body text to Create Anchor Text
Try to use important keyword phrases in your page's body text and link it to relevant target pages within your own site. The paragraph below is an example of how this can be achieved:
_____________________
Wireless cameras are getting smaller and lighter and at the same time
wireless camera prices are coming down. The
Spy camera and covert camera ranges have seen a steady reduction in cost and at the same time product quality and
wireless transmission ranges have increased. Without obstacles our
covert cameras will transmit a clear
wireless signal up to 100m. Some of the larger
Infrared camera units have detachable yagi antennas meaning that
wireless transmission distances can be easily increased with
high gain antennas. The
night vision camera and
infrared camera ranges have also seen the same reduction in price but unit sizes have stayed constant to incorporate the
Infrared LED’s.
_____________________
This example has been exaggerated but it shows how easy it is to first of all weight the text on your site with your target expressions and on occasions, anchor the text with a link to another area of your website.
Keyword density is used to describe the percentage of keywords to normal text contained on your web page. Keyword density should not generally exceed 20%
Don’t forget that people will also read your anchor text links. Make sure that the words in your anchor text also make sense to your human visitors.
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