Anchor text
The anchor text (also called anchor text, reference text or link text) is part of a hyperlink. Instead of a URL, the anchor text is displayed in the body text of the web page. The address of the link target can be seen at the bottom left of the browser window by hovering over it with the cursor.
On websites, anchor text is often distinguished from the rest of the text by a different color, bold marking or underlining. It is intended to provide both the user and the search engine with information about the page behind the link.
When the anchor text is clicked, the address that is stored as a link in the source code opens:
- Internal link: Reference to a page on the same domain
- External link: Reference to a page on a third-party website .
- Backlink: External link that points to your own domain.
The importance of anchor text for SEO
The algorithms and bots of the Google search engine include anchor texts in the evaluation of backlinks. In addition to the content, the number and quality of the link texts are also important.
Since the Google Penguin update, the algorithm recognizes the value of a backlink and penalizes websites with an unnatural backlink profile or keyword stuffing in the anchor texts. Such a penalty has a negative effect on the rankings of a website and can even lead to the deindexing of individual pages and/or several pages.
In order to avoid such a penalty, the excessive use of so-called "money keywords" in the anchor text should be avoided, especially for external backlinks. Instead, link texts consisting of generic keywords or entire phrases that describe the link target are more suitable.
Forms of anchor texts
Anchor texts can be formulated in different ways. From an SEO perspective, a distinction is usually made between four forms that pursue different goals.
Money anchor texts: Are used for the targeted optimization of a keyword or search term. In most cases, this involves the sale of products, e.g. "sports shoes" or "buy sports shoes". Their use should be avoided since the Google Penguin update at the latest.Brand anchor texts: Contain a brand name or its domain, for example "Nike" or "nike.com".Compound anchor texts: Combination of brand anchor text and money anchor text, e.g. "Buy sports shoes from Nike".
Anchor texts such as "there" or "on this page" should be assigned to other (or generic) anchor texts.
Anchor texts at a glance
- Money anchor texts, e.g. "sports shoes", "buy sports shoes"
- Brand anchor texts, e.g. "Nike", "nike.com"
- Compound anchor texts, e.g. "Buy sports shoes from Nike"
- Other link texts, e.g. "there", "on this page"
Formulate anchor text: Tip for on-page optimization
The anchor text helps the search engine to categorize the website thematically. The use of the same link texts or keywords for a subpage in particular leads to improved rankings.
Placement of Anchor Texts
External and internal links can be placed in different places on a website. It should be noted that the placement of links also affects their strength. They can be placed not only in the content area, but also in the header, footer or navigation of a page. There they fulfill different tasks:
Header or footer
Links in the header or footer of a website are usually used for navigation and usability. The user can use them to navigate through the individual subpages. Depending on the template, these links are repeated on several pages. They are less valuable than links that are placed in the content area. This is particularly true for links in the footer or sidebar.
Content areaLinks in the content area of a website can be placed individually and are intended to increase user-friendliness. They enhance the content and direct the user to further information on other pages. Links in the content area that are visually clearly recognizable as such are highly relevant for the ranking and indexing on Google.
ImagesImages can also be provided with links, but they do not have the same value as text links from the content area. The alt tag is used here as a substitute for the anchor text.
Note: If an image is provided with a link and anchor text, which are repeated in the subsequent text, only the link behind the image counts for the ranking, not the one in the body text.
