If you are a marketing specialist on the Internet, you need to know the power of the “anchoring text” in natural referencing. Although it is a commonly used expression, many specialists have not yet discovered what it really means after the different Google updates. Anchoring texts are a crucial part of SEO links creation strategies and have a significant impact on the classification of your site on search engines. In this article, we will explain to you what the anchor texts consist of and how to optimize them so that your site is as efficient as possible.
What is an anchoring text?
In simple terms, the anchoring text is the visible text used to create links to pages internal to your site or external. In other words, the clickable text sends users to another page (on the same website or another). In your quest for optimizing your site on search engines, links pointing to your pages And The text used to bind them (the anchoring text) are important.
The anchoring text is a classification element: it is useful for users, for search engines, and gives the search engine a better idea of ​​the content it will find in the document. When you create a link to a page, the anchoring text you use gives credibility to the page to which you create a link. Therefore, you want to use the appropriate anchors for the web page to which you point. 3
Anchoring text and types of links
Two types of links can be directed to your pages: internal links and external links. Internal links are those that connect a page from your site to another. These are useful for users and search engines because they help them discover more content on your site.
In terms of optimization, you can consider internal links as a means of “distributing” the SEO value of your most useful pages to the least useful pages. External links are those that exist on other sites than yours, pointing to pages on your site.
Application
Let's see an example:
- Let's say that we have a website: “yoursite.com”
- There is also another website that we do not have: “Othersite.com”
- We have a page on our website on red fish. It is on the URL VOSITE.com/poissons-rouges
- We want this page to classify as high as possible on Google for the term “red fish”.
A good internal link would be, for example, a link with the anchoring text “Red fish” on our page “About us” (for example, “look at our other page on red fish with an anchor text”). A good external link would be on a blog article from “Othersite.com” on fish types. The link will lead to your page on red fish with the anchor text “Consult this superb page on red fish”.
The functions of links of links
User orientation
The links of links serve as guides for users, clearly indicating them where to click to access additional information or related resources. They improve the user experience by facilitating navigation on the site.
Improvement of SEO (SEO)
Anchoring texts help search engines to understand the context and content of the linked pages. A relevant and well-chosen anchoring text can improve the classification of a page on specific keywords.
Diversification of the links profile
The varied use of types of anchors (brand, keyword, generic, etc.) contributes to a natural and diverse links profile, an important aspect for SEO.
Prevention of over-optimization penalties
By diversifying the anchoring texts and avoiding excessive use of exact correspondence anchors, the sites can avoid the penalties of search engines for over-optimization.
The different types of anchoring text
Let's explore the different types of anchoring texts using the Nike brand as an example. This will allow us to understand how these techniques can be applied concretely in a SEO strategy.
Generic anchors:
Generic anchors use vague and non -specific terms, such as “click here” or “find out more”. They do not provide contextual information on the content of the linked page but can be effective in encouraging user action.
- Example : On a sports blog, a link to a new Nike collection could be introduced by “Discover these options here”, where “here” is the generic anchor.
Brand anchors:
The brand anchors integrate the name of the brand, like “Nike”. They are useful for strengthening brand recognition and are generally well perceived by search engines for their authenticity.
- Example : In an article on sportswear trends, a link to the Nike home page could simply use the word “nike” as anchor.
Naked links:
Naked links anchors are full URLs used as anchor text, such as “https://www.nike.com”. They add naturalness to the link profile and are easy to identify.
- Example : A post on social networks sharing an article on the latest Nike outings could simply use the “www.nike.com” URL as anchor.
Brand + anchor keyword:
This category combines the name of the brand with a targeted keyword, offering a balance between the promotion of the brand and specific SEO targeting.
- Example : A blog on fitness could include a link to specific shoes with the anchor “Nike Air Max” running shoes “.
Image anchors:
When an image is used as a link, the text of the image “Alt” tag is considered the anchoring text. This allows you to add a SEO context to the images.
- Example : On a site of sneakers criticism, an image of the Nike Air Jordan could have an alt “Nike Air Jordan and Red” alt tag.
LSI anchoring (latent semantic indexing):
LSI anchors use variants, synonyms or related terms of the main keyword, helping to target a wider spectrum of research queries.
- Example : An article on basketball could include a link to the Nike basketball section with the anchor “Basket performance equipment at Nike”.
Partial correspondence of the anchoring text:
These anchors integrate part of the target keyword in a wider sentence, offering a balance between keyword targeting and naturalness.
- Example : On a blog dedicated to running, a link to a Nike guide could use the anchor “Our tips for choosing your running shoes”.
Long -trained anchors:
Long-trained anchors are longer and specific sentences that include the target keyword, useful for targeting specific and less competitive research requests.
- Example : An article on sports fashion trends could use the anchor “where to find the latest collection of Nike sports clothes for women”.
Exact correspondence:
The anchoring text corresponds exactly to the target keyword, which is very effective for targeting specific keywords but must be used in moderation to avoid over-optimization.
- Example : On a product criticism site, a link to a specific shoe could use the anchor “Nike Air Zoom Pegasus”.
Do not always use the same type of anchor text
Judiciously broadcast different types of anchors. The distribution of your anchoring text can affect the classification of your site on search engines. So this is where you need to concentrate your energy. It is difficult to say what is the distribution of ideal anchoring text, but according to some research, here is what is mainly:
- Brand anchoring text: 40%
- Unique anchor text / Other: 25%
- Naked link: 15%
- Brand anchor + keyword: 5%
- Partial correspondence text: 5%
- Long-draggy anchor text: 2-4%
- Exact anchors: less than 1%
Follow your anchor texts
How do you know if you did a good job without following your results? When you create backlinks, it is essential to follow the anchor texts you have used. Otherwise, you take a step forward blindly without knowing exactly where you are going. You must be organized and make sure not to optimize your page too much with rich anchors in keywords. You can follow your anchors on an Excel spreadsheet and avoid using the ones you have already used. The use of surveillance tools such as Semrush, Majestic, Moz or Ahrefs could be useful to you.
