n a previous post I discussed what anchor text is and how to use it.  Now let’s review why using it is so important both to search engines and to human readers.

I.The Search Engine Aspect

In the most basic analysis, anchor text ‘tells’ a search engine what the page is about in an efficient manner.  Major search engines like Googe, MSN and Yahoo give significant weight (hence the name) toward anchor text as opposed to the same text that is not hyperlinked.  This point underscores the reason why including relevant keywords is so vital, especially when placed on authority sites with high pagerank.

Begin with the end in mind by brainstorming the top three to five keyword phrases that web users interested in your business would initially query.  Those should be your keywords used to create your anchor text(s).

For example, it’s futile to use “click here” as your clickable anchor text when your site is about “dog grooming”.  While a human reader may still click through, the search engines think your target page is about “click here”.  Obviously, you’re not trying to rank for that keyword and yet many websites still make this careless mistake.

An addition variable when using anchor text that bears mentioning is the nofollow status of the website.  More and more blog owners are implementing this hindrance to backlink-seeking commentators by placing a “nofollow” tag by default for anyone placing anchor text on their site.  You can check for this by clicking “highlight nofollow links” in the SearchStatus firefox add-on or clicking ‘control U’ and viewing the pages code.  Google essentially dismisses the anchor text completely when accompanied by the nofollow tag, so steer clear of those sites.  Stick to ‘dofollow’ blogs, forums and directories that do not contain the nofollow tag.

So to sum up, each time your link appears on another website, the search engines will note the sites pagerank, the nofollow status, and the keywords used in the anchor text.  Consistently using keyword-rich anchor text on high pagerank, dofollow sites should be your primary goal!  This game plan is what top marketers use to rank for those specific keywords.

II. The Human Aspect

Remember that real humans will read your links as well as search engines, so the words in your anchor text need to make sense.  Generally speaking readers are more likely to click on anchor text as opposed to a long drawn out url, perhaps in part due to curiosity but also because its appears cleaner and more professional.  Internet newcomers reveal their inexperience by copy and pasting excessively long urls that ideally should be converted to anchor text. 

Anchor text can also play a role in posting status updates in various social networks which limit the number of characters a message contains.  Although most people have resorted to shortened urls, using anchor text is preferred whenever allowable.

Internal anchor text increases the likelihood of your readers staying on your domain longer.  Google actively tracks this parameter and in fact preferentially ranks websites with higher viewing lengths.  So the goal is to capture your readers’ eyes through multiple web pages and for as long as possible.

Now you have a better understanding of how proper anchor text usage plays a valuable role in onsite and offsite search engine optimization.  Its high-tech and high-touch implications to both search engines and human readers cannot be overlooked.

Related posts:

Beginner’s Guide to Anchor Text.

How to Use .Edu Blogs for Backlinks.

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