The Importance Of Using Long Anchor Text

John Mueller from Google talks about the differences when using long anchor texts and short anchor texts to link to SEO content pages. Using anchor texts is one of the most important SEO content strategies that will help websites rank higher in the search engine results page (SERPs). "Anchor texts" are the words that businesses choose for linking out to other websites, and into their own.

In the past, Google was less strict about keyword-stuffed anchors. However, with its newly-updated algorithms, Google now forces SEO experts to carefully choose the links they use for link building, how often they are used, and the text around them too.

In a YouTube live stream called SEO Office Hours, someone asked how Google treats both longer and shorter anchor texts. Mueller replied that when it comes to SERP rankings, Google doesn't make any distinction between them, whether they're long or short.

However, he did point out that using more words in the anchor text gives Google more and better context about the webpage that it is linked to. Logically, then, since a longer anchor text contains more words, it gives Google more useful information than a shorter one would.

And if there is more context, then that can have a knock-on effect on a website's rankings. Any SEO content that's more relevant to a user's query will see an increase in traffic if it gives the search engines more context.

This also means that Google will process all anchor text so it has a better understanding of what the webpage is all about. The more information Google receives from a webpage, the higher it will rank for a particular, relevant query.

Mueller confirms that Google doesn't do anything special in relation to the number of words in an anchor text; instead, it uses the anchor text to give extra context for the individual pages. He also admits that a longer anchor text doesn't necessarily mean that it's better than a shorter one, or vice versa.

From his point of view, what businesses need to focus on is being clearer with users about the kind of content they will see if they click on a specific link.

For businesses and website owners who want to develop efficient SEO content strategies, it's vital to ensure that they treat anchor text as a tool rather than as an afterthought. This will help Google get a better context for important and relevant pages.

However, that doesn't mean that website owners should write a detailed anchor text for each and every page. What they should do is consider using a longer anchor text for the more important links. Some of the examples of important URLs are high value-pages on websites, pages that mention the brand name, pages that contain links back to the website, and so on.

Anchor texts, whether they are long or short, are not a huge factor for businesses and websites who are trying to rank higher. But they can be used to give Google the context or information it needs, allowing the search engine to learn more about the website and boost its rankings on the search engine results page - just as long as its content is relevant.

Here at Position1SEO, not only do we provide you with relevant content, but we also help you optimise your webpages, so they're in the best possible condition when they're crawled by Google and other search engines.

Our first step is to provide you with a free in-depth audit to determine your specific SEO needs. If you're interested in our affordable SEO packages, contact us on 0141 846 0114 or email us at office@position1seo.co.uk.