A Complete Guide to Anchor Text Optimization in Four Steps

SEO — Thu., Sep. 22, 2022

Anchor text optimization is vital for successful SEO campaigns. Whether for backlinks or internal links, it must be chosen wisely to stay on the good side of search engines. Keyword-rich anchors provide context and enhance user experience, while avoiding over-optimization or any other "blackhat" tactic. This article outlines four steps to properly optimize anchor text.

Select relevant anchor words, look at the content around the anchor text, focus on image alt tags, and distribute the anchor types strategically. Alt tags should be descriptive and keyword-rich, while link-building should have a natural distribution of anchor texts. Google's BERT update allows it to understand the context of links based on the words or sentences around them.

Image alt tags are vital for image SEO and user experience. Writing keyword-rich anchor text is essential, but the alt tags field shouldn't be used to stuff keywords. Analyzing the anchor texts of the top-ranking sites in your niche allows for a guide for selecting your own. Optimizing anchor text is delicate yet essential for successful SEO campaigns.

... continue reading below