Anchor text is the part of the link that is clickable and visible to users. It is placed between the opening and closing anchor tag . Here is an example of an anchor text:
What does the anchor text do?
The anchor text gives a strong indication to both search engines and users about the page you’re linking to.
A hyperlink that you add to your site can either point to other pages on your site (that’s an internal link) or to pages on other websites (that’s an external link).
In both cases, by providing meaningful anchor text, you help search engine crawlers and users understand what the target page is all about.
Different Types of Anchor Text
There are different types of anchor text you can use when creating a hyperlink.
If you are new to SEO, you first need to understand the terminology so that you can follow the guidelines outlined below.
- Branded – using your brand name as anchor text, for example: Reliablesoft
- URL – using the permalink of a page without text, for example: https://www.reliablesoft.net/seo-strategy/
- Domain name – using your domain name as anchor texts, for example: reliablesoft.net
- Generic – used very often, for example: read more, or click here
- Exact match keywords – using keywords for the link, for example: “You can learn more about SEO Keywords and…”
- Partial match – using keywords with additional text, for example: “You can download our SEO checklist.”
- Page Title – using the page title as is, for example: “The Ultimate DIY SEO Tutorial (Step by Step) For Beginners”
Best SEO Practices for Anchor text
Although anchor texts have been around since the beginning of the Internet, still a lot of webmasters don’t follow best practices when writing them.
Writing optimized anchor text for both your internal and external links can help your SEO in a number of ways.
- Optimized anchor text in internal links can help search engines understand the site structure
- Anchor text in incoming links can help you rank higher for specific search terms.
- Good anchor text in external links helps users understand if this is a link they want to click.
Choose meaningful text
Try to use meaningful anchor text in your links. A meaningful anchor text, in this case, gives an idea of what to expect to find in terms of content when clicking the link.
When choosing an anchor text:
- Avoid using generic words like ‘click here’, ‘this’, ‘read this’, ‘read more’ etc. These words don’t give enough clue to search engines on what the linked page is about.
- Avoid using text that is not related to the content of the linked page.
Avoid using the URL of a page as the anchor text
In many cases, webmasters may use the URL of a page (also known as Naked URL) as the anchor text.
Although it will not create any problems, it’s not the best practice, so use it when really necessary. A better alternative is to use the page title as the anchor text.
Write short anchor text
Write short anchor text that is concise and without too many words. If it has a lot of words, it’s more difficult for search engines to understand it.
Example of a good anchor text:
Example of a ‘bad’ anchor text:
Anchor text is defined as the link that is clickable
Format links differently from normal text
Links should be easy for users to spot. Best practices include making the link color different than the text color.
Anchor text and Google Penalties
One of the reasons that anchor text is important for SEO has to do with links. Here is a simple explanation of how these two are related.
Incoming links are still one of the most critical search engine ranking factors.
Links pointing from one website to another are considered by search engine algorithms as ‘votes of trust’. A website with links from other websites is likely to rank higher in the SERPS than a website with no backlinks.
The process of promoting your website to get more backlinks is called off-page SEO.
One of the factors that play a role in how valuable a link is, is the anchor text.
The reason is that the anchor of an incoming link gives search engines a big clue as to which keywords the particular page should rank.
Let me give you an example to understand this better:
Website A links to Website B as follows:
When search engine crawlers find this link, they understand two things:
- That website A trusts website B, that’s why it’s referencing it by adding a link
- That the particular page on website B is about SEO Courses
So far so good. Everything was done according to the guidelines (as explained above).
The problems begin when:
- Website A received monetary compensation to add the link
- The content on website A is not related to SEO courses or training
- Website A constantly links out to other websites using optimized anchor text
- Website A and Website B agreed to exchange links
When Google finds out that the link was not placed naturally it will impose a penalty on both websites or devalue and ignore the links.
In the SEO World, the algorithm that particularly targeted optimized anchor text is known as Penguin.
How to avoid anchor text over optimization
If you’re confused by now as to whether you should optimize your anchor text or not, don’t worry you are not alone.
Here is what you should do.
When linking out, follow these three simple rules:
#1. Link out to websites that you trust. If you don’t trust a website make the links nofollow.
This will instruct search engines not to pass any link juice or pagerank from your website to the linked website. When a link has the nofollow attribute, the anchor text is ignored as well.
#2. Avoid using exact match keywords as the anchor text but still, keep it short and relevant.
For example instead of doing this SEO Strategy do this follow this SEO strategy
#3. You can link to the website using their brand name. For example, if you would like to link to this article without using keywords, you could say “According to Reliablesoft….”. (Reliablesoft in the anchor text for the link). This is always a safe practice to follow.
When building incoming links for your website:
When running link-building campaigns and you’re in a position to control the anchor text used for the links, follow the guidelines below:
#1. Use a variety of anchor text types – Don’t use exact match keywords but use a variety of anchor text types. You can use partial match, page title, and brand name and still give Google the right signals.
#2. Review your link profile – A ‘normal’ link profile should have all types of anchor text in the incoming links. Review your link profile and make sure that it looks natural. A profile with only exact match keywords is not normal.
#3. Avoid building low-quality links – Anchor text is just one of the factors that determine how valuable a link is. Other factors include the website that is placed, the authority of the domain, and the relevancy of the content. Don’t go out and start building any kind of links but concentrate on the links that matter, without worrying too much about getting exact match links.
Best SEO Certificates
The following are some of the best SEO certifications out there.
These companies and organizations have strong credentials. And their courses are thorough, well-structured, and taught by knowledgeable professionals.
- SEO Crash Course by Semrush
Best for: beginner and intermediate SEOs
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: free
Certificate: yes
Instructor(s): Brian Dean
Semrush offers a full range of online courses and exams. A great place to start your SEO learning journey is the SEO Crash Course.
This course lays the groundwork for more advanced training in different areas of your expertise through the Semrush Academy.
After finishing the course, you can take the exam. If you pass, you’ll be awarded a certificate:
Continuing to build on your knowledge by taking other Semrush courses, you can also try to get other certifications. Including ones for intermediate and advanced users and digital agencies.
- Google SEO Fundamentals by UC Davis
Best for: SEO beginners
Duration: 29 hours
Cost: free
Certificate: yes
Instructor(s): Rebekah May, Eric Enge
Google doesn’t provide a Google SEO certification. If anyone claims they are a “Google Certified SEO Specialist,” they misspoke.
However, Google recommends a free online SEO certification course called Google SEO Fundamentals which is part of an SEO Specialization series created by the University of California, Davis, and powered by Coursera.
This course is broken down into four modules and takes about 29 hours to complete, with a certification offered after completing the final exam.
Each learning module includes a “bite-sized” video tutorial. And a quick quiz at the end to test your knowledge.
- SEO Certification Course by HubSpot
Best for: SEO beginners
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: free
Certificate: yes
Instructor(s): Rachel Sheldon, Matthew Howells-Barby
This SEO Certification Course is given by HubSpot, a company known for its inbound marketing and sales software.
The video course, which lasts almost four hours, teaches SEO basics through six lessons, 25 videos, and five quizzes.
The well-produced videos cover topics like on-page SEO, technical SEO, keyword research, link building, optimization for rich snippets, and SEO reporting.
- SEO Training by ClickMinded
Best for: beginners to intermediate SEOs
Duration: 5 hours
Cost: $997
Certificate: yes
Instructor(s): Tommy Griffith
The SEO Training by ClickMinded has helped “8,702 startups, agencies, entrepreneurs and students learn SEO, get higher rankings, and more traffic.”
This training includes the following:
- SEO fundamentals
- Introduction to SEO tools
- How to optimize for any search engine
- Keyword research advice
- Introduction to Google Search Console
- Certification exam
ClickMinded also offers training in paid advertising, content marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, sales funnels, and web analytics.
- Advanced Search Engine Optimization Program by Simplilearn
Best for: beginner SEOs
Duration: 36 hours
Cost: free
Certificate: yes
Simplilearn is a leading certification training provider with over 400 courses in various areas. Within their platform called SkillUp, they offer free courses that help beginners build strong foundational skills for career growth.
The Advanced Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Program offers 36 hours of self-paced videos covering all the basics an SEO beginner needs to know. Topics include keyword research, competitive intelligence, website planning, and tips on how to build a career in SEO.
- Google Analytics 4 Course by Google
Best for: intermediate to advanced SEOs (or anyone who wants to learn Google Analytics 4)
Duration: 10 hours
Cost: free
Certificate: yes
The current version of Google Analytics—Universal Analytics—will stop processing data on July 1, 2023. It will be replaced by a next-generation analytics solution called Google Analytics 4.
Now’s the time to learn the new platform so that you can smoothly transition.
Google is happy to help in this process. They created an interactive Google Analytics 4 Course on Skillshop that will help you get to know the new platform and earn an official Google Analytics Certification.
In a series of lectures, you’ll learn how to set up a Google Analytics 4 property, how to use its various reporting tools, what the key measurement features are, and how to work with the data in the most effective way.
- All-around SEO Training by Yoast
Best for: beginner and intermediate SEOs
Duration: 3 hours
Cost: $99/year (includes other courses in the Yoast Academy + Yoast SEO Premium plugin)
Certificate: yes
Instructor(s): Joost de Valk and other SEO experts from Yoast
The All-around SEO Training is a simple, easy-to-digest video course by the creators of the world’s most popular WordPress SEO plugin—Yoast.
The course includes over three hours of videos, sliced into 39 short clips. The lessons are taught by SEO professionals from Yoast, including their founder Joost de Valk.
You can test your knowledge with several quizzes throughout the course that will help you train your newly gained knowledge. You’ll need at least an 80% score to pass each quiz.
After completing the course, you’ll get an SEO certificate. And you’ll be able to download actionable PDF files for further reference.
- Advanced SEO Certification Training by Market Motive
Best for: intermediate SEOs
Duration: 30+ hours of videos and 15+ hours of live online classes
Cost: paid; $1,199 for self-paced learning; $1,499 for the online boot camp (the price also varies based on your location)
Certificate: yes
Instructor(s): Matt Bailey
Market Motive, an internet marketing training company, offers its Advanced Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Certification Training to help “master the process of organically driving traffic to your website by learning critical components such as keyword research, on-page and off-page optimization, and SEO analytics.”
The course is provided in self-paced training and online boot camp formats. Those who would benefit most from this training are marketers, content writers, sales professionals, entrepreneurs, and business owners.
To get certified in advanced SEO, you need to complete three projects and one simulation test with a minimum score of 60%.
There are no minimum requirements to take the course, but Market Motive advises anyone interested to complete its SEO foundations course first.
