Using Link Text for Better Results

Now that you know what link text is (see our article What is Link Text for more information), you will need to learn the best ways to use it. Some ways of using your link text are more advantageous than others.

Let's use MomLinks, an online directory as an example of the site we want to link to. We want to link to this site in the best possible way, so that the site gets the best benefit.

A non-text link would be http://www.MomLinks.com. It is basic, shows a visitor the URL in question, but you are not providing the best possible benefit for the site you are linking to.

Basic link text would be linking to it as MomLinks. The link text is simply "MomLinks". Now, that is not a bad link, but a keyword rich text link would be much better.

Instead, I could link to the directory using keyword rich link text. An example would be if I did something like this instead. MomLinks is your Free Directory Resource for Moms.

However, do keep in mind that you can go too far in the keyword direction. You don't want to keyword spam your link text. I wouldn't want to link to MomLinks using something such as MomLinks Moms Mommy Mother Parenting Parents Directory Directories Free Cheap Frugal.

This would definitely be excessive keywords in anyone's eyes, and many webmasters feel that Google penalizes for this, especially when it is done to link to internal pages within the site - for example, if that keyword spam link was also on another page on the MomLinks site, that could cause a penalty by the search engine.

Also, keyword spammed link text is poor usability and does not benefit any visitor that comes along. They might be interested in clicking on the "MomLinks is your Free Resource Directory for Moms", but definitely not if it was listed as "MomLinks Moms Mommy Mother Parenting Parents Directory Directories Free Cheap Frugal".

Always choose your link text wisely. Use keywords, but don't make it excessive. Your link text does influence the search engines, both for internal pages (which is why it is important to use link text to link within sections of your site, rather than image buttons to do the same job) and with the text used for outbound links and those that link to you. It will put heavier weight on the specific keywords used to link to each specific page.

By using link text properly and to your best advantage, you can help search engines rank you for the specific keywords you wish to have high placement in the results. Do keep in mind, however, that link text is only one aspect of the algorythm which search engines use to determine positioning. But it is definitely an aspect that is ultilized, and that you should be using to your advantage.

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