What is an “anchor text”?
An “anchor text” is what we in Norwegian call lenketekst. It is the visible text on a clickable link. If you choose to not write a dedicated lenketekst, you get what is called a “naked link”.
Here is an example of a “naked link”: https://solidmedia.no/seo/on-page-seo/
and here is the same link with anchor text: Read more about on-page SEO here
How to write effective anchor text?
SEO experts use a range of names and terms for different types of link text. The most important thing is to know how you should and should not write link text.
The whole point of the link text is to give the reader a clear idea of what they will find on the page you are linking to:
- In short, your link text should be written in natural language without too many keywords.
- Keep it simple and informative, while still enticing the reader to click.
- Try to use between 4 and 7 words.
- Avoid short, generic link texts like “Click here.”
- Think of links and link texts as tools to improve the usability of your website.
Which of these links would you click on? Click here! SEO 2022 or Why should your company invest in SEO?
The two links above lead to the same blog post, but have completely different link texts. We are quite confident that the second link would get the most clicks.
How important is it to work on your link texts?
Internal links, meaning links that lead to other pages on your website, are important for both user experience and SEO results.
The links themselves give Google the impression that your website is user-friendly and easy to navigate.
If you manage to entice the visitor to continue reading the rest of your website, it will have a positive impact on the statistics Google uses to rank websites in the search results.
Avoid Google’s spam filter
When you write your link texts, you can absolutely use selected keywords that you believe your target audience will notice and want to click on. But remember that these MUST be relevant to the content on the page you are linking to.
Google cracks down hard on link spamand excessive use of keywords in link texts. If, for example, you have many links with identical link text that point to different URLs, you may be penalized for it. Vary which keywords you use and how many, and you’ll avoid getting on the wrong side of Google.
