In this post I want to talk about using anchor text in blogs and articles.  I find that many novice internet marketers are still new to this concept so here’s my take on what it is and how to utilize it.

What is Anchor Text Optimization?

First let’s start with anchor text, which is the readable section of a text link.  It is the clickable, blue, and typically underlined word or phrase that is contained within the html tags of a link.  The two major types of anchor text are internal, which redirects readers to additional pages within a domain, and external, which forwards readers to entirely new websites.

More specifically, anchor text optimization is the process by which internet marketers create anchor text with just the right location, relevancy and keyword structure so as to maximize SEO of the target site.  The target site is the subsequent webpage that clicking on the anchor text produces. 

External anchor text optimization is accomplished through link exchanges, blogs & forums, and article directories, among others.  Link exchanges are conducted between two or more related websites.  The mutual relationship obvious aids each party, however, achieving 100% and consistent compliance is often a challenge.  I prefer using article directories, blogs and forums which allow anchor text in their resource boxes or signature files.  This strategy gives the marketer the majority of the control in link building.

How To Create and Use Anchor Text?

I use two variations of html code for my anchor texts.

1)      Redirecting current page:

<a href=http://www.domainname.com>anchor text here</a>

2)      Opening brand new tab (retains former page):

<a target=”_new” href=http://www.domainname.com>anchor text here</a>

Store these templates in a word or excel file that you regularly access.  This will save a lot of time as you begin to use these html tags more frequently.

Try integrating two separate anchor texts in each article resource box, either varying the text and/or the target website.  Seek out high pagerank, dofollow article directories that support anchor text like ArticlesBase, EzineArticles and GoArticles.  For blog posts create a template containing one to three related links following each post (like you see concluding this one).  You’ll have to amend this to achieve relevancy but the general structure remains the same.  Just be sure not to overdo the inter-liking.  Some marketers have encountered a Google-slap from excessive internal anchor text.

Another practical measure is to vary the target webpage by linking a specific page to a given article.  In other words, don not solely use your root domain as the target site.  For instance use anchor text from an Ezine article or other non-video directory to route readers to the specific video-containing post (e.g. at domain.com/video-about-article) that accompanies the text.  Your readers will surely recognize the extra care given to your linking.

And lastly mix up your anchor text itself.  If your site is all about green widgets, try varying the anchor text as opposed to just using “green widgets.”  Over-optimizing like that can create an unnatural pattern and keeps you from ranking for other modifying keywords (e.g. “green widget discounts”).  Now you should have a clearly understanding of what anchor text is it and how to produce it for your specific websites.  Check out my second half of this blog post about why using it is vital to any marketers sales copy and SEO campaigns.

Related posts:

Why Using Anchor Text Is So Important.

How to Use .Edu Blogs for Backlinks.

How to use Ping.fm for Social Networking Auto-posting.