On-Page SEO factors have been dealt with in a previous editorial. Off-Page is much more critical though. It’s a sort of selection process. Site A gives a link (vote) to site B. They’re saying, “Look at them - they’ve got something interesting to say…”
Two main features make up the link to your website. The web address (in other words the actual URL) of the targeted page. And additionally the anchor text that’s been highlighted to click on. The particular page with that anchor text then receives one vote. i.e. one vote towards this site appearing higher up in the natural listings when we type that phrase in the search box.
This is the way it works. The two things (anchor text and targeted page) are bound together. You have to have anchor text to make your vote. The Search Engines use the anchor text as an explanation of what the page is all about. It’s very important to grasp this: Your website’s search terms are totally controlled by its anchor texts.
Therefore, can you see why “Click HERE for more information” is next to useless for creating SEO value? The phrase ‘CLICK Here’ is what we’ve voted for! Who thinks of typing in ‘CLICK HERE’ when they’re doing a search? No-one of course.
That’s the reason the anchor text must be right. As the keyword phrases you will be rated for depend on it. And by the way, if you DO Google “Click Here” you will always find the Adobe Reader download site at the top. Did they SEO that term? Definitely not. But so many sites have a ‘Click HERE to download Adobe Reader’ link on them, that they’re number one for that phrase.
In short, anchor text phrases are always used by the SE’s to place a vote. It is the logical thing to do. The process attempts to use human logic for looking and searching. The content of your page isn’t necessarily relevant. As long as the anchor texts that are directed at you say ‘red cars’ - that is what you will rank for. That is the vote that’s cast.
Inevitably there are other things to consider… Because the SE’s also use the page title and wording of the page being pointed at to correlate the results. And many more factors too. As an example - they’ll look at the sites that link to yours and assess how relevant they are and how well spread.
The bottom line is - to SEO successfully takes a ton of back-links. Plus the back-links have to have the right anchor text phrases and be from many different and varied sites. The ‘authority’ of a site also plays a major part: A back-link from Microsoft.com or Adobe.com would be worth a lot more than a back-link from a local hardware store!
It takes knowledge and skill to identify the best keyword groupings for your site. (Research your competitors well before you plump for yours.) But this is the crux of the thing… What would a customer of yours type in the search box in order to find your product or service? The answers to this question supply your anchor text and keyword phrases.
Interesting answers often come up when you do your researches and tests. It’s so often the case that the phrase people expect is NOT what produces the most results. We all have different ways of expressing ourselves. Imagine you’re intent on sleeping better. You might think to search for ‘comfortable bed’. Whilst the line GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP could be used by someone else.
You just can’t trust your ‘gut feel’! The importance of the investigation, testing and measuring of these phrases cannot be underestimated. They are absolutely key to the volume of enquiries and sales you can make via the web. Compare it to an entry in a physical Business Directory. If you’ve been entered as a Florist, but you’re actually an electrician, you’re not going to get anywhere. Careful keyword research and analysis is the key to effective SEO.
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