Anchor Texts vs Keywords: A Full Guide

Like any specialism, SEO has many industry-specific terms that refer to different parts of building and implementing strategies that make a difference in the SERPs (search engine results pages). Anchor texts and keywords are a couple of terms you’ll come across, and they are often mistaken for each other, with many wrongly assuming they are interchangeable and do the same thing.

While they may appear similar, as they are both crucial elements to include in SEO content and can be great for rankings, there is a big difference between them and what they do for your SEO. Not understanding how they both work could spell disaster for your rankings or even see your site slapped with a Google penalty, and no one wants that.

If SEO anchor textAnchor text is the text highlighted by a hyperlink. The words highlighted are crucial for SEO, informing Google’s crawling bots about the content of the site linked to. and keywords have got you in a muddle, keep reading for a clear breakdown of how they work.

What Is Anchor Text?

In SEO, anchor text, sometimes referred to as link text, is a small phrase of text with a link that users can click on to take them elsewhere. This hyperlinked text may take users to another page on the same website or a different site altogether.

External and internal linksHyperlinks, also known as links, are the connection points on a webpage that take you to other webpages. are essential for good SEO as they help to signal authority and make it easier for search engines to ‘read’ websites for ranking.

What Is A KeywordKeywords are the words and phrases that potential customers might search for to find your business.? 

To define keywords, they are short phrases or words (not dissimilar to anchor text) people use when searching online. For any one topic, there could be thousands of keywords, some of which are easier to rank for than others. SEO experts like our team carry out in-depth keyword research and analysis to determine which ones to target in content, which can then have a positive effect on rankings.

Keywords can be anything, but some examples of a keyword could include:

• “Pubs near me”
• “Prescription sunglasses”
• “Weather in Cheltenham”
• “Dinner recipes”

Read more: Boost ConversionA conversion is a desirable result on a website that leads to an action such as completing an order, filling out a form, or simply clicking on a link. Rates: How to Target High-Intent Keywords the Right Way

Why Are Anchor Texts Important For SEO?

Anchor text is a Google ranking factor, which means it is important for determining a website’s viability and can impact your SEO efforts. We all know that Google takes helpful content seriously, and linking to other useful information through your content can tell your users where they can find further details related to their search query – which will earn you mega brownie points with the search engine giant.

Ultimately, your choice of anchor text is vital for search engines and users.

Anchor Text and Search Engines

If you want to achieve search engine success, you shouldn’t really be ignoring any of Google’s ranking factors. Your choice of anchor link text will tell the search engine what it needs to know about the content your anchor links to, which will help determine how to rank your pages.

For the best impact on rankings, you need to be sure that you’re only linking to relevant content and reputable websites (if external linking), as not doing this could cause your rankings to flop.

Anchor Text and Users

We’ve already touched on this, but anchor text guides website visitors to other related content that they might find useful related to their search query. Good anchor link text will be informative and tell users what to expect from clicking on an external or internal linkInternal links are links that connect different pages on your website. They help users navigate your site and make it easier to find information,. As well as getting the anchor content correct, you must take care with the words surrounding anchor links, ensuring they make sense and persuade the user to click on them.

Keyword Optimisation For SEO Explained

For your content to rank highly in the SERPs, it needs to effortlessly include keywords that can help bump it up the results pages. Not only that, but the content your keywords are included in needs to fulfil search intent – or, in other words, answer the question search users are asking.

Wondering how to pick keywords for SEO? It all starts with keyword researchKeyword research helps websites unearth the best keywords to drive traffic and visibility. This research is supported by a number of powerful web-based tools, the best of which we’ve listed here. to see which phrases you should target. Once you’ve figured this out, you can start adding them to your content and other SEO elements like meta tagsA meta tag is a structured data element that appears in the head section of a webpage., headings, titles, and descriptions.

Effective content optimisation that brings results in the SERPs is all about striking the right balance, so be careful not to overdo it.

Read more: How to Do Keyword Research in SEMrush

Anchor Texts vs Keywords: Which Has A Bigger Influence on Rankings?

It’s not clear which has the biggest impact on rankings. Search engines like Google always change their algorithms, so it can be tricky to see which one packs the biggest punch. However, the general consensus is that keywords and anchor text have a similar influence on rankings as they both do important jobs. The keywords you weave into your content are the phrases people use in their queries, and anchor text can help search engines and users better understand your site structure and content. Getting both right is equally important.

Anchor Text Types Explained

There are a few different kinds of anchor text you can use in your content. It’s recommended that you vary the anchor text types you use for external and internal links as well as link building.

Here’s a rundown of the most common styles:

• Exact Match: Exact match is when just the target keyword is linked. These keywords need to make sense for your business or SEO goals. For example, if a fashion shop sells women’s shoes, an example of a good exact match anchor text to link from is “women’s shoes” or “shoes for women.”
• Branded: When the brand name is the link’s anchor text. It’s good to use this when linking a homepage or citing a source. For example, it would make sense to hyperlink Click Intelligence in content about digital marketing services.
• Natural/Link Including Keyword: Sometimes referred to as compound, these types of anchor texts include the target keyword in the link along with some additional words for added context. If the keyword is “shoes for women,” then a natural anchor text to link from could be “shop beautiful shoes for women.”
• Generic: Examples include “click here,” “read more,” and “more info.” This anchor text doesn’t give search engines or users much context, so it should be used sparingly.
• Naked: This uses the link’s URL as the anchor. For example, https://www.clickintelligence.co.uk/.
• Partial: The link contains some of the target keyword. For example, “shoes for women” is a partial match for “wedding shoes for women.”

Anchor Text Best Practices

For links and anchors to be effective, there are some best practices that you should always aim to follow whether you’re linking internally, externally, or building backlinks:

Make Sure Links Are Natural

Your anchor text should blend seamlessly into your content writing. Any anchor links that come across as spammy or shoehorned into content are not a good look and can negatively affect your SEO. Anchor texts should make sense in the context and be truly helpful to the reader – only include them if they’re actually beneficial and add value to content.

Mix Up Anchor Texts

Linking to the same page with the same anchor text type can be a red flag for search engines. Where possible, vary your anchor text style. Equally, using the same keyword across multiple links can become a problem, so always use related keyword variations.

Read more: Link BuildingLink building is a process of acquiring links pointing to your website. These links are obtained by creating content, participating in social media or commenting on other blogs. Strategy: How To Get Your Anchor Text Ratios Right

Keep It Snappy

Anchor text should be clear and concise to help users to understand what to expect. Try to keep it at a maximum of 5 words wherever you can.

Be Descriptive

We might sound like we’re contradicting ourselves here, but your anchor text needs to be descriptive as well as concise. Users need to accurately pre-empt what they can get from clicking on links and anchors beforehand.

We’re Here To Help

Hopefully, you now have a better idea of anchor texts and keywords and the differences between them. Both are essential for an effective SEO strategy. If you need more help with your keywords for marketing, anchor texts, or any other aspect of your SEO, our friendly team is right here! Get in touch today!