The anchor tag or the
tag, is one of the most important html tags in terms of SEO. Links (internal links and links from external website) will use it. The anchor text used under the tag will sculpt your website Page Rank and will define the subject matter of a web document.
While there will be conflicts between what a copywriter and marketer (SEO guy) want to have as anchor text for links, both should recognize and re-conciliate when deciding on what a link should communicate for both, humans and robots.
Usage
The most common usage of the tag is in conjuncture with the href attribute and it may look similar to this:
seo guide for beginners
For more information on optional and standard attributes of
tag please visit the HTML a tag page. The text seo guide for beginners is known as anchor text.
What designers should know about the anchor tag in terms of SEO
* Designers should understand that robots can’t read the text embedded in images, so if you know that a keyword is important for the website you’re designing for, don’t put that text under images.
* If you want to design fancy headlines, or your company’s branding rules are requiring non-standard fonts for browser, consider using sIFR
* Hopefully the new HTML 5 will be adopted fast and more fonts will become standard, but for now stay with standard fonts (not images) for headings and other important visuals
What SEO’s should know about the tag
* always use targeted keywords in the anchor text, i.e. seo guide for beginners
* never use meaningless words like click here in your anchor text
* use the title attribute to provide search engines more information about what the linked page is about, i.e.
seo guide for beginners
* make sure that the content of the linked page contains the keyword you use as anchor text for link to that page
* ideally, the anchor text in your link should be repeated at the beginning of the
tag of the linked page
<br /> * consult with the copywriter (if any) about the anchor text of the link; he wants something, you want something else. Explain him/her the importance of keyword rich anchor text
<br /> * don’t link and don’t get linked to/from junk websites (link farms, PPP – porn, pills, poker)
<br /> * when building links from external websites, alternate the anchor text quite frequently with alternate versions of the targeted keywords
<br /> * nofollowed links from external website may not pass link, but they are useful if they send targeted traffic (i.e., wikipedia links are not followed but they can send qualified leads)
<br /> * don’t get stuck on keyword density and don’t try to screw copywriter’s work
<br />
<br />What programmers should know about the <a> tag
<br />
<br /> * if you want to search engine bots to index the page you link to, then don’t put links under JavaScript, flash or other scripting language that will make search engines job harder. Simple a href is the best
<br /> * use nofollow on external links, except if you link to trusted/authority websites (i.e. wikipedia, governmental) or interlinking partner websites
<br /> * if you see images containing important keywords, try to speak with the designer and ask him to “create” something with pure text (css will help)
<br /> * have consistency when you interlink your website pages (always link to www.yoursite.com, not to variations like www.yoursite.com/ or www.yoursite.com/index.php) – search engines will treat those URLs as different documents
<br /> * the trailing slash after .com (or whatever TLD) matters; the best way to link your home page is http:/www.yoursite.com/
<br /> * you don’t need to worry about relative and absolute URL, as long as your relative URL have consistency
<br /> * put nofollow on links pointing to secure pages as shopping carts, checkout pages, etc
<br /> * put nofollow on add to cart anchors
<br /> * although not directly relate to <a> tag, if you use variation of the same URL with just a parameter changed (&itemcolor=1) put the rel=”canonical” in the <head> section of the variation page (see rel canonical)
<br />
<br />What copywriters should know about the anchor tag
<br />
<br /> * the anchor text is important for both search engines and readers
<br /> * you should balance creativity and SEO
<br /> * use strong call to action verbs outside the anchor text
<br /> * don’t use generic terms like, click here, to link a page
<br /> * put the most important keywords under links, if possible at the beginning of the anchor text
<br /> * don’t stuff your copy with links on the same exact targeted; use keyword variations (plural vs singular versions) for the anchor text
<br /> * search engine use stemming in their algorithm
<br /> * use synonyms instead of repeating the same anchor text more than 2 times per 100 words
<br /> * in your anchor text and copy use related and industry specific terms to tell engines the theme of the web page (book VS booking)
<br />
<br />Pitstop Media is a Vancouver based search engine marketing company which offers results oriented SEO services. If you need help with your search engine optimization projects please contact us for a free, no obligation quote. We’ve helped companies rank on the first page of Google in a short period of time for highly competitive terms. Let us rank your website on the first page, too!
<br />
<br />Read more: The Anchor Tag and SEO – Complete HTML Reference Guide for SEO
<br />
<br />http://www.pitstopmedia.com
<br />
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