Lately, there have been a flurry of Google Algorithm updates that seem to be targeting the overall over-optimization of web sites. Not only if you over-optimize the content on your page, you will undoubtedly run into search engine rankings problems. But what happens if the anchor text that links to your web site from other sites is over-optimized? Well, you will also run into search engine ranking problems.
Why Is Anchor Text Diversity Important?
Search engines like Google are designed to evaluate the “naturalness” of a link profile, and a large part of that is based on anchor text diversity. A link profile is essentially a collection of all the backlinks (inbound links) pointing to your website. If your backlink profile consists primarily of one or two keyword-heavy anchor texts, search engines may view this as an attempt to manipulate rankings. This could result in penalties or a drop in rankings for your website.
A diverse anchor text profile, on the other hand, mimics natural link building. In the real world, people don’t always link to a website with the exact same wording every time. Sometimes they’ll use the brand name, other times a variation of a product or service, and occasionally, even generic terms like “click here” or “learn more.” A healthy mix of these anchor text types signals to search engines that your link profile is more organic and credible.
Types of Anchor Text to Consider
To diversify your anchor text, it’s important to mix different types of text. Here are some common types of anchor text to consider:
- Branded Anchor Text: This is when the name of your business or website is used as the anchor text. For example, “Red Widgets Inc.” would be branded anchor text. Branded anchor text is generally seen as safe and natural, especially if your brand name doesn’t directly contain target keywords.
- Exact Match Anchor Text: This is when the anchor text exactly matches the keyword you’re trying to rank for, such as “red widgets.” While exact match anchor text can be powerful, it should be used sparingly. Overuse can make your link profile look unnatural and result in penalties.
- Partial Match Anchor Text: This is a variation of your target keyword, such as “high-quality red widgets” or “best red widgets in 2023.” Partial match anchor text provides more diversity while still including relevant keywords.
- Generic Anchor Text: These are the non-keyword-based anchors like “click here,” “learn more,” or “this site.” While these may not seem valuable in terms of keyword optimization, they contribute to a natural link profile and prevent over-optimization of keyword-rich anchors.
- Naked URL Anchor Text: This is when the actual URL of the page is used as the anchor text, such as “http://www.redwidgets.com.” While not the most aesthetically pleasing, naked URLs are a natural way that many websites link out to others, contributing to anchor text diversity.
- Long-Tail Anchor Text: This involves using a longer phrase that includes a more natural context around the keyword. For example, “Check out the red widgets available at our store” offers a more conversational approach to linking and helps avoid keyword stuffing.
How to Implement Anchor Text Diversity
Diversifying your anchor text requires strategic planning, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are a few methods to ensure your link profile remains varied and natural:
- Monitor Your Current Backlinks: The first step is to audit your existing backlinks to understand the current state of your anchor text diversity. Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Google Search Console can provide detailed insights into the anchor text used across your backlink profile. If you see that a large percentage of your links are using exact match keywords, it’s time to adjust your strategy.
- Encourage Natural Linking from Partners: When requesting or encouraging backlinks from partners, bloggers, or affiliates, don’t dictate the exact anchor text they should use. Instead, allow them to choose the text that fits naturally within their content. This will help ensure a mix of anchor text types, including branded, partial match, and generic.
- Use a Variety of Anchor Text in Your Own Content: If you’re building internal links within your own website, vary the anchor text you use. Avoid linking to your key pages with the same keyword-rich anchor text every time. Instead, switch it up with branded or generic anchors to create a more balanced link profile.
- Leverage Content Marketing for Natural Links: High-quality content that provides value to users is more likely to attract natural backlinks with diverse anchor text. Create informative, engaging blog posts, articles, infographics, and videos that others will want to link to, without having to specify how they should do it.
Avoiding Over-Optimization
Over-optimization occurs when there’s an excessive focus on using specific keywords in your anchor text in an attempt to manipulate search rankings. This is particularly problematic when the majority of your backlinks are using exact match anchor text. Google’s Penguin algorithm update specifically targets websites that appear to be engaging in manipulative link-building practices, and one of the primary red flags is over-optimized anchor text.
A good rule of thumb is to aim for a natural distribution of anchor text types. There is no “perfect” percentage, but many SEO experts suggest keeping exact match anchor text below 50 percent of your total link profile. Branded anchor text, partial match anchor text, and generic terms should make up the bulk of your backlinks. This type of natural variation will protect you from potential penalties and ensure that your website remains in good standing with search engines.
The Benefits of Anchor Text Diversification
Diversifying your anchor text doesn’t just protect you from search engine penalties; it also has several tangible benefits for your SEO strategy:
- Improved Rankings Stability: A well-diversified link profile is less likely to experience sharp drops in rankings due to algorithm updates. Search engines view diverse anchor text as a sign of natural link-building, which helps to stabilize your rankings over time.
- Broader Keyword Coverage: By using variations of your target keywords, you increase the chances of ranking for a wider range of search terms. This can help capture additional search traffic and improve your overall visibility.
- Increased Trust and Authority: A natural and diverse backlink profile signals to search engines that your website is authoritative and trustworthy. This can boost your domain’s overall authority, making it easier to rank for competitive keywords.
- Lower Risk of Penalties: Finally, avoiding over-optimization by diversifying anchor text reduces your risk of algorithmic penalties. By spreading out your anchor text across multiple types, you create a natural profile that is less likely to be flagged by search engines.
Diversifying the anchor text of your backlinks is one of the most important aspects of a sustainable SEO strategy. It not only protects your website from search engine penalties but also strengthens your site’s authority, enhances rankings, and broadens your keyword footprint. A well-rounded link-building approach with a focus on anchor text variety ensures long-term success in organic search.
How do you diversify your anchor text?
First, you need to take a look at the list of anchor text links to your web site. You can download the links to your web site using Open Site Explorer or Majestic SEO. I prefer Majestic SEO, especially since you can verify your web site and download all of your links without a monthly fee. Download the links, sort the anchor text alphabetically, and start counting up the links with a certain keyword phrase to your web site. If your overall percentage of anchor text for that keyword phrase is higher than 60 percent, then you need to diversify your anchor text links.
Take a look at the links pointing to your web site. Are there any links that have the exact anchor text of a keyword phrase that you could possibly get changed? Instead of saying “red widgets” a link could say “widgets that are red” or even “best red widgets” or simply “widgets”. That would be a change from the exact anchor text of “red widgets”, especially if you have lost rankings recently for “red widgets”.
If you are noticing an overall slide of your rankings across a lot of keyword phrases, then your issue might still be anchor text–especially if your company name includes your keywords or if your web site includes your keywords. For example, there might be an issue with “redwidgets.com” ranking for “red widgets” if the site has too many “red widgets” links. In this case, again you’ll want to take a look at your web site’s links–and start diversifying your links with more generic keyword phrases. For example, here is a list of keywords that you could use in your anchor text links, especially if your web site includes too many brand-related keyword phrases:
click here
web site
website
my company
our company
the company
our web site
our website
the web site
the website
about the company
about our company
about my company
about my website
about my web site
about our web site
about our company
learn more
read more
click here for details
click here for more information
click here for more info
click here to purchase
purchase now
buy now
click here to visit their site
click here to visit their website
click here to visit their web site
click here to visit the site
click here to visit the website
click here to visit the web site
contact
contact us
details
more details
here
http://www.yourwebsite.com/
www.yoursite.com
learn more
learn more about companyname
companyname – learn more
find out more about companyname
link
visit this link
go here
official website
official site
official web site
shop now
shop
view site
view web site
view website
view the site
view the website
view the web site
view their site
view their website
visit our site
visit our website
visit our web site
This list above is actually just the beginning of keywords that can be used to help diversify the links to your web site. These examples are “real world” examples, from the anchor text of a large brand who has not suffered any search engine ranking issues from any of the latest Google algorithm updates, such as the Google Penguin or Google Panda update. Certainly, this example web site has plenty of exact match anchor text keywords pointing to their web site from other sites–but it’s the diversity of anchor text links, having additional “generic” phrases pointing to their site, that has made their web site virtually search engine “algorthim proof”.
PRO TIP: If you’re trying to diversify the anchor text to your website or to a specific web page, using the above list of keywords is good. But if you’re looking for some extra SEO power, combine the exact match anchor text with your company’s brand name or website URL.