How to use Anchor Text Links to help boost Search Engine Ranking for Targeted key Words.

The Benefit of Key Word Heavy Anchor Text Links

A web sites popularity is one of the things search engines look at to determine how high a site ranks on a Search Engine Results Page (SERP). Popularity is often measured by the number of incoming links a web site has. It is almost as if each incoming link counts as a vote for that sites popularity. The thought behind this popularity measure is that web sites often provide links to a valuable site with good content or a valuable resource. Typically, a site with many links to it is a popular site with helpful on topic information or provides something useful to visitors. Sites that don't offer much important content, web sites that carry SPAM, or sites that are new typically have very few incoming links. This popularity measurement allows search engines to weed out the less desirable web sites and give favor to those that are worthy of top rankings.

What is an Anchor Text Link?:

Now that we understand the importance of incoming links to a web site to help determine how high a site ranks on search engines… let's look at two ways of creating a link to a web site.

The first link structure we have all seen and are very familiar with. It is a simple link taking visitors from one site to another by clicking on the URL http://www.2TheTopMarketing.com This is great to help build link popularity of your site and generate incoming traffic but there is a much better way to give your link more value.

Instead of creating a link highlighting and having the URL clickable, we can embed a keyword into the link. Internet Marketing Seminar This clickable key word heavy link is called an anchor text link. To further clarify, Anchor Text is the blue, underlined, key word text a user sees on a site, web page, or email and when "clicked on", has an embedded link that takes you to another web page that is related to the key words or anchor text phrase. Both links lead to the same location but instead of clicking on a URL you are clicking on a key word that has the URL embedded in it.

Why is this called an Anchor Text Link?

The word 'Anchor' refers to a heavy weight usually made out of metal that is attached to a ship to keep it in one location. Let's think of your URL as the ship and your keyword as the anchor. We have the URL of http://www.2TheTopMarketing.com which stands on it's own but if we make our link Internet Marketing Seminar instead of just the URL, we are adding weight or value to the link. The phrase "Internet Marketing Seminar" has now been attached to the link like a heavy anchor is attached to a ship. Search engines will see this link and connect the URL with the key word and make the connection between the two. Search engines now think of 2TheTopMarketing.com as having a strong connection to the phrase Internet Marketing Seminar.

Inbound links to your web pages are valuable, but Anchor Text links have a greater value. Descriptive Anchor Text Links that are rich with key words are considered to be one of the most valuable factors for achieving a higher page rank in search engine results pages. When a descriptive Anchor Text Link points to your site it's similar to a directional sign that tells the search engine spiders exactly what key word your site should be associated or connected with.

Anchor Text - the Value of Anchor Text Links:

Anchor Text Links are one of the best search engine marketing tools to help your web page with being found on search engines for a specific key word. Using the "Internet Marketing seminar" example, when the key words of "Internet Marketing Seminar" are entered in the search box of a search engine, all the web pages that have these key words will be listed on the Search Engine Results Pages. Although many factors enter into the equation, in general the web pages that have used this key word more frequently in incoming anchor text links, in their site title, and in various places in their body content are the most likely web pages to be listed higher on the results pages. The more valid the search engines think your site is as it relates to a search term, the more likely it is that your site will come up in the top of their results pages.

Where to Use Anchor Text Links:
There are a number of key places where you can use Anchor Text Links, some of which include:

• In all Online advertising vehicles
• In External Links (Links from other sites or web pages)
• In Internal Links (Links on your web pages linking to other web pages)
• In links on your Home Page to other pages on your web site
• In articles you submit to various online publications
• In Online Press Releases

Anchor Text Link Strategies:

On your Web Site:
First, you must decide what the key words are that you want to be found for in the Search Engine Results Pages. When search engine spiders crawl your site, the two things they're looking for are (a) text and key words that can be used to determine what your web page is all about and (b) links they can use to access the other important pages of your site. Using carefully selected key words in your Anchor Text Links to connect similar pages of content through these particular key words gives more weight to that keyword and tells the search engines that your web page is a valid resource for that search term.

External Sites:
When using External Links, use topically relevant or theme/category related web sites. Collect a number of topically relevant or theme related sites that all have anchor text links pointing to your site that describe to the search engine spiders what your site is about. This strategy makes it much more likely that the search engine spiders will index your site quickly and increase your page rank. This works because the spiders have gotten confirmation from the Anchor Text Links on other web pages that your page is worth checking out and is relevant to the topic.

It can often be difficult to get anchor text links from other pages because after all, they are doing you a favor just by linking to your web site. However, if sites that are linking to you don't use Anchor Text Links to link to your web page it is worth the effort to politely ask them to change the text of the link so that you will get an Anchor Text Link from that site. It will also be helpful for you to provide them with the exact text you want to use.

Anchor Text Errors:
One serious mistake many web site owners often make is to use an Anchor Text Link that gives a directive or is a call-to-action link such as "click here", "for more info go to" or "read more". It is important to understand that no customer ever searches for "click here" or "read more" and it is a useless exercise for a web site owner to rank high for these phrases.

Anchor Text Link Summary:

Anchor Text Links are an important Search Engine marketing Strategy to help with your page rankings. Take the necessary time to consider the anchor text phrases and keywords that you are using on your web site or web pages. Chances are they could be improved which will generate a corresponding improved placement on the Search Engine Results Pages.

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