All about text link optimization

If you are an internet marketer, blogger or web site owner, search engine optimization must be a phrase that you`re familiar with. For starters, SEO strategies ensure that our content is identifiable to search engine spiders thus making it visible to users. Without SEO, it becomes difficult for a site`s pages to be discoverable in search engine queries. This just shows how fundamental SEO is and the fact that you have to get it right if you want your website to reach the masses. To rank high in search engines you need a perfect blend of great content, a good SEO strategy and a responsive, compliant website.
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The general user experience when people visit your site has to be great. There are many components that make up a complete SEO package, but for the purpose of this post we will discuss text link optimization and how it can help your site to be more discoverable in search engines.
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Optimizing links is definitely not a new phenomenon to most SEO's, and internet marketers, but some approach it the wrong way and their efforts end up being ineffective or they are penalized for being spammy. Do you want your pages to rank high and forever avoid being penalized for having malicious links?- Follow along and benefit from proper text link optimization.

What is text link optimization all about?

To best understand links, try and think about a channel of interconnected roads. One road links to another which links further to another thus makes it easier for users to maneuver around. This is the same way that links function; they make it easier for users to maneuver around the web and for search engines to discover your content. Without links, the web would be one complicated place to maneuver, and it would be tiring to say the least. However with links, everything becomes simplified. For instance, when you add external links to your website, you are helping users access other sites on the web where they can get information of value or more of what they were looking for. Similarly, when you other sites have links that link back to your site, users will be prompted to visit a certain page on your website. Internal text links enable users to discover other pages on your website where they can get additional info.
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Let`s talk about the proper way to optimize text links

To enable text links to drive more traffic to your pages, the links need to be created in the correct format. The same way that content optimization needs to be orchestrated in the right way for it to work, is the same way that text link optimizing works.
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In order for links to be discovered easily by search engine spiders, the text has to be descriptive. The same way that the alt text describes an image to search engines is the same approach that should be applied while optimizing links. Don’t just create a link, it should describe what the website or link is all about and the keywords used should be related to the web page`s subject matter. Do not use keywords relating to automobiles on a page that is about jewelry. If you don’t use proper descriptions on a text link, you are making it hard for search engines because all they can decipher is just a naked URL to another site. You are also making it hard for users, because they don’t know where the link is supposed to lead them to. All they can see is a link, but so what? You will ultimately be doing your site a great disservice because users will not stay longer on your pages and no authoritative site will want to link back to your site. 

When you add the right keywords to your anchor text, you are further optimizing your web pages. Let’s use a practical example, of two links:

Example 1- www.michaelhodgdon.com
Example 2- SEO expert Michael Hodgdon

In the first scenario, the only thing that search engines will read is a naked URL that does not describe what the website is all about. There are also no keywords in the text, which means that search engine spiders may not even know which category the site pages belong to.

In the second link, you notice that the text has been optimized, and it is descriptive. Search engines and users will automatically know that it points to SEO expert Michael Hodgdon's website. Search engines will thus be able to take into consideration that the Michael Hodgdon the user may be looking for is an SEO expert. Additionally, when users click on the text, they will have a better idea of where the destination url leads.

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Important tips about creating anchor text

• It is important to note that keyword rich anchor text allow pages to be easily identifiable by search engines and associate the type of content on the page.
• Avoid excessive use of anchor texts, or you risk being penalized by search engines
• While distributing anchor texts in your content, avoid using the same exact text. If you use a certain keyword in one anchor text, try and use the keyword`s derivatives in the next. This way, you will be optimizing your text links without risking being penalized.
• Try to include the main keyword in your anchor text.
• Don't repeat the same link on all uses of the keyword on the page.