Anchor text – types and impact on positioning

In previous articles we have discussed the most important information regarding external linking and internal linking. Both processes are extremely important in building a website’s visibility, so it is worth taking care of all of their elements. One of them is the proper selection of anchor texts. What are anchors and why are they important?

What is anchor text?

An anchor text is a piece of text that provides a link to another URL within or outside the site.  Technically, the text found in HTML code in the <a></a> tag is used to create hyperlinks on web pages. 

An example anchor in the code looks like this:

<a href=”https://upmore.pl/pozycjonowanie-stron-seo”>SEO Agency</a>, 

only the content placed between the tags (in the example mentioned above it would be 'SEO Agency’) is displayed directly in the text. 

Anchors are often distinguished from the rest of the text by their colour or font thickness to attract the audience’s attention and make it easier for them to navigate the site. 

Types of anchors

Several types of anchors are used in both internal and external linking. 

Is choosing the right anchor important?

Before the Penguin algorithm was introduced, it didn’t matter that much. Google’s Algorithms and its updates are designed to verify that a website is valuable and its content is responsive to users’ intentions 

The Penguin algorithm, introduced in 2012, evaluates the quality and profile of links that lead to a site. Its main goal is to eliminate links of poor quality or those that could be considered spam. Penguin also affected anchors that contained an unnatural number of keywords. In addition to evaluating links, Penguin also takes into account the fit of anchors and their diversity within a site. 

What are the types of anchors?

Branded anchors

Branded anchors occur when the link content contains the name of the brand, company, or domain to which the link is directed. The most important task of brand anchors is to build brand recognition for a particular brand.

Example:

Agency Up&More is a 2-time finalist for the 2022 European Search Awards!

Anchor Exact Match (EMA) 

Exact Match is a typical sales anchor containing an exact match keyword phrase to the unaltered link destination. It has a positive impact on conversions but should not be used too often. The keywords searched for by users do not often appear in this form in naturally written content. Exact Match is worth using interchangeably with other anchors to diversify how to place links in content. 

Example:

SEO Agency will help you achieve high search engine visibility. 

Anchor Partial Match (PMA)

This is the most natural use of keyword phrases in the linking process. Partial Match is, like EMA, sales keywords, but in a modified form or augmented with additional content.

Using such phrases for link placement is much safer and does not arouse suspicion of scanning robots. It is also much more natural from the point of view of the text’s recipients. 

Example:

If you care about the positioning of your website, contact the specialists at SEO Agency!

Anchor Zero Match (ZMA)

Zero Match is an anchor that does not include a key phrase, and its content does not directly point to the linked page’s content. It usually takes the form of 'here’ or 'learn more’, encouraging users to move on to the next page. It has no significant impact on the site’s SEO. Its main role is to provide a greater opportunity to diversify the anchors used so that their occurrence in the content is natural and well-received by search engine robots.

Example:

If you are curious about what we can offer you at Up&More – see here! 

Anchor URL

An anchor commonly referred to as 'naked’ simply contains the URL itself. Although there are plenty of them on the web, SEO specialists use them less and less. More profitable from an SEO point of view are anchors that contain key phrases within them, pointing directly or indirectly to the linked page’s content. 

Example:https://upmore.pl/nagrody/

Graphic Anchor

Graphics and SEO optimization are crucial to a website’s positioning. We can also use graphics to sublink another page. If the graphic is well-optimized and has all the attributes completed, the anchor automatically becomes the alternative text (ALT attribute). 

What is the best anchor?

Of course, there is no definite answer to this question. 

The most important rule we should follow when choosing anchors is diversifying them. 

It is worth using any type to make linking as natural as possible. There is no perfect solution here, but it is worth betting on anchors containing keywords to further strengthen the site’s positioning on the given phrases.

There is also no set ratio for the ideal distribution of anchors. It all depends on the linking strategy adopted and the goal you want to achieve. 

If we want to promote the brand, we should bet on brand anchors for a while. If we want to increase conversions, we should use sales anchors, such as Exact Match or Partial Match. 

The textual environment of anchors should also not be overlooked. The context in which links appear on a page is of great importance. In an era of emphasis on valuable content, search engine robots scanning a page pay attention to the content and thematic fit of anchors to the overall text. This is also better received by users who, when reading about a particular topic, can click through to a product page or a page that elaborates on the issue.

An equally important element is the length of the anchor. Whether you choose an Exact Match or Partial Match anchor, remember that the length should not exceed 60 characters. It is easier for robots to determine the subject matter of a given link and evaluate the context of the anchor placement when the 'anchor’ text is of the appropriate length. 

Do anchors influence SEO?

Anchors are used in the link-building process, which is one of the main pillars of website SEO. By implementing internal linking, we place hyperlinks to other pages, which build a network of connections within the site and facilitate navigation. Matching the right anchors further influences Google’s evaluation of the site. 

Considering the aspects discussed above and determining the purpose of our actions, we can select the right anchors, which will contribute to building brand recognition and visibility for key phrases that are important to us.