What is the perfect link?

[Dominic]

I've seen a few different requests for links, some of which have made me wonder if they know anything about what they are doing and some that have made me ask do I know anything about what I'm doing!

What is most valuable to you when it comes to getting links:
* use of your primary keyword/phrase in the link text (this gets my 1st vote)
* getting listed first (or very high up) on the links page
* a text link in the middle of a paragraph on a content page
* a text link which is as long as possible
* the theme of the site linking to your site
* the theme of the page linking to your site (this gets my 2nd vote)
* the number of total outbound links in the site
* the number of links on the page
* the pagerank of the page
* the number of visitors to the site
* the number of clicks the page is from the homepage

What has me perplexed is why some people ask for a link that has twenty or so words in it? What are they trying to achieve there?

Well I know someone is probably going to say 'Well Dominic, you listed a number of features that make a link more valuable...'

What I'm asking is what is most valuable to you (pick 2 features) or mention one I have left off the list.

[compar]

In order of importance I would arrange them as follows.

#1 * use of your primary keyword/phrase in the link text
#2 * use of your primary keyword/phrase in the link text
#3 * use of your primary keyword/phrase in the link text

[steve sardell]

Hi Dominic,

Compar has listed my same three choices. I will add what I personally consider the least important.
*the number of total outbound links in the site* I see this as having no relationship at all -I'd love to have a link from Yahoo!

[Dominic]

I'd love to have a link from Yahoo!

That's a very good point - the reason why I raise it is it seems to be a selling point raised by people selling text links.

I would prefer a link from a page with fewer internal or outbound links as the pr is divided amongst the links.

But in terms of outbound links on a site - do we know enough about how pagerank is 'kept within a site.' I would take an uneducated stab at saying the pagerank a page has on offer is distributed through it's links, and the question of total outbounds on a site is inconsequential to what happens locally on a page. The theory goes if the page has 'scored' pagerank from the site it has that to offer - if a site with zillions of outbound links 'leaked' pr so badly, the page would be atributed less pr. The fact that each page is scored individually with pr allows us to judge each page individually (when considering the pr component).

You do raise an interesting angel to this discussion:

what I personally consider the least important

[Arnica]

What has me perplexed is why some people ask for a link that has twenty or so words in it? What are they trying to achieve there?


Perhaps in the belief that it will give them some weight across all the keywords contained in the twenty words? From my observations on 'allinanchor' position movements any additional anchor text merely dilutes the value of all the keywords within the anchor text. Better to stick with your main two / three word phrase then build your secondary phrases separately.

Mick

[ferret77]

for a moment after the florida update I was sort of convinced that google had hit my sites for the anchor text

since they still ranked for mainAnchorTest + someother words

I assumed that maybe if I optimized my anchor text for mainAnchorTest + someother words

I would have been ok, I have since found so many holes in that theroy I disgaurded it but maybe this guy didn't

[schlottke]

Bob is right on the money- link text is easily the main factor.

[Dominic]

I guess thats why I find it so weird that so many requests for links don't contain keywords in the preferred link text - quite often it's the business name or something that is descriptive and 'clickable.'

Dominic

[Ergobob]

Great information. So, to sum it up would the following suggestion for a link request be perfect if you were optimizing for the keyword "ergonomics"? And would you go back to existing people linking to you to request a change of wording?

<p><a href="http://www.usernomics.com/workplace-ergonomics.html"> Ergonomics:</a> Comprehensive Internet Resources by Usernomics.</p>

Thanks,

Bob

[compar]

Great information. So, to sum it up would the following suggestion for a link request be perfect if you were optimizing for the keyword "ergonomics"? And would you go back to existing people linking to you to request a change of wording?

<p><a href="http://www.usernomics.com/workplace-ergonomics.html"> Ergonomics:</a> Comprehensive Internet Resources by Usernomics.</p>

Thanks,

Bob

I haven't checked the competitiveness or popularity of 'ergonomics' as a keyword, but the general view is that you probably should try and optimize for a 2 or 3 word phrase rather than a single word. However if there isn't much competition you might be able to achieve position for a single word.

Now the information after the anchor text may make the link more attractive to anyone who would click on it, but it ads nothing to the search engines.

[Dominic]

the information after the anchor text may make the link more attractive to anyone who would click on it, but it ads nothing to the search engines.

I was hoping a consecutive use of the keyword/phrase in the text after would help the search engine as the page would be more 'on topic' than a link only on the term.

e.g.
Homeless - Homelessness and homeless people in Australia, includes pictures and real life stories of homeless people.

v. just straight:
Homeless

Maybe it would be even better to have the linktext in the middle of the sentence:
Homelessness and homeless people in Australia, includes pictures and real life stories of homeless people.

Am I splitting hairs?

[john_loch]

No I don't think you are splitting hairs at all.

If theme/context is at all relevant, that's how to leverage it. :)

[Ergobob]

Hi Compar,

My three keywords are fairly competitive but there is nothing close to any one of them when you check Ergonomics, Human Factors, and User Interface Design. But I am #7, 18, and 19 on Google, respectively, so I am getting there.

I have optimized for Consultant and Consulting along with those words but very few people search for "ergonomics consultant", etc. So I stay with my main keyword for each page.

Given that, the backlink that I suggested above should work fine for Ergonomics - right?

[compar]

I was hoping a consecutive use of the keyword/phrase in the text after would help the search engine as the page would be more 'on topic' than a link only on the term.

e.g.
Homeless - Homelessness and homeless people in Australia, includes pictures and real life stories of homeless people.

v. just straight:
Homeless

Maybe it would be even better to have the linktext in the middle of the sentence:
Homelessness and homeless people in Australia, includes pictures and real life stories of homeless people.

Am I splitting hairs?


I would ceratinly never us "homeless" all by itself. But apparently you are not talking about "homeless" as a generic term. So your anchor text should be "Australian homeless" or "Homeless in Australia". Those anchor texts would do a lot more to tell Google what your site was relevant to. I really think one word keywords or anchor text should almost never be used or optimized for.

All this topical/theme concern is fine, but I still don't think google is doing any of that today. You use anchor text to tell Google what the link is relevant to or about. And I don't think you can convey that message with a single word.

[Dominic]

The issue for me is that 'homeless' is far and away what people search on, I am aiming for global traffic, not just specific to homelessness in Australia.

So I want to eventually climb the heap and rank in the top ten results for a search on 'homeless,' (my primary keyword) - where the traffic is.

Are you saying that to do this I should focus instead on getting links which are to my secondary phrases?

Some of my links are to: 'Homelessness & Homeless People in Australia' which is the most descriptive link. (this was also my original title - now the title is just 'homeless')

Primary:
Homeless

Secondary:
Homelessness
Homeless Children
Homeless Pictures
Homeless Statistics
Homeless People
Homeless News

Tertiary:
Homeless Australia
Homeless Volunteer
Homeless Photos
Homeless Images
Define Homeless
Define Homelessness
Homeless Pics
Pictures of Homeless People
Pictures of Homeless Children
Houseless
Houselessness
Define Houseless
Define Houselessness
Donate
Charity
Donate to Charity
Homeless Charity

Semantic:
Shelter
Poverty
Homelessness

(note - I have internal directories and pages targeting the secondary, tertiary and semantic terms)

[disgust]

"Bob is right on the money- link text is easily the main factor."

once again I agree here completely.

a site being "on topic" isn't nearly as important as the anchor text is

[compar]

Primary:
Homeless

I just checked your site in the McDar Keyword Analysis Tool and all I can tell you is that you have long way to go. You rank #306 in the SERP and #30 for allinanchor:

Are you in the top ten for any of your terms?

I think you are trying too many different terms you're never going to get the anchor text density -- I just coined a new term -- if you are trying to get IBLs for all these terms.

[ZanderXML]

In order of importance I would arrange them as follows.

#1 * use of your primary keyword/phrase in the link text
#2 * use of your primary keyword/phrase in the link text
#3 * use of your primary keyword/phrase in the link text

And I wouldn't ... I prefer the top page link from http://games.yahoo.com/ with ANY text, if we are talking about games content, then keywords in my link on www.some_unknow_domain.com/some_unknown_page.html

Got me? ;)

[Dominic]

I just checked your site in the McDar Keyword Analysis Tool and all I can tell you is that you have long way to go. You rank #306 in the SERP and #30 for allinanchor:

Are you in the top ten for any of your terms?

I think you are trying too many different terms you're never going to get the anchor text density -- I just coined a new term -- if you are trying to get IBLs for all these terms.

Primary:
Homeless n/a

Secondary:
Homelessness n/a
Homeless Children n/a
Homeless Pictures 8
Homeless Statistics 6
Homeless People 16
Homeless News 11

Tertiary:
Homeless Australia 1
Homelessness Australia 5
Homeless Volunteer 1
Homeless Photos 4
Homeless Images 3
Define Homeless 1
Define Homelessness 1
Homeless Pics 2
Pictures of Homeless People 16
Pictures of Homeless Children 2
Houseless 3
Houselessness 2
Define Houseless 1
Define Houselessness 1
Donate n/a
Charity n/a
Donate to Charity n/a
Homeless Charity n/a

The rankings are generally higher on yahoo.

Yes there is a long way to go for the primary - the secondary and tertiary can be achieved with internal links, but for homeless and homelessness I'm pretty far behind.

Compar - the question of using a single keyword (homeless) as anchor text in links I request (instead of a two or more word phrase) - is that the right direction to head in...

[nadlay]

Should you always try and use two or more words for links?

[Geir]

Interesting discussion,

In terms of improving search engine rankings, I think that the "use of your primary keyword/phrase in the link text" is by far the most important factor.

A link can certainly have a value in itself as well though, in which case any link from a heavy trafficed site like yahoo would be very valuable, and a prominent link on a site with a theme close to your own could bring significant direct traffic and possible customers.

:) Geir

[jeremyalyea]

I understand that anchor text is extremely important. If a site is linking to mine through a banner for example with alt text, would this give me the same boost as normal anchor text?

[lorien1973]

My vote goes like this: (in order of preference)
* use of your primary keyword/phrase in the link text
* a text link in the middle of a paragraph on a content page (combined with #1 is best)
* the theme of the page linking to your site
* the theme of the site linking to your site
* the number of links on the page
* the pagerank of the page
* the number of total outbound links in the site
* the number of visitors to the site
* the number of clicks the page is from the homepage
* getting listed first (or very high up) on the links page
* a text link which is as long as possible

[Blogmaster]

relevance comes first for me. I believe that will meet the requirements for future algorithm changes. Common sense :)

[Dominic]

* a text link which is as long as possible

Tell us more about this please. Why is it good?

[lorien1973]

Tell us more about this please. Why is it good?
It's not. That is why its at the bottom of the list - I took the list from a post earlier in the thread, I didn't make any changes to it. I see no value in a text link that is 30 words long or something like that. My list is ordered from what I think matters most to what matters least. Personally, I'd rather a banner ad than a text link that is too long - I'd also rather have a static banner ad on a site that is unrelated to the site too, but that's me :)

[Dominic]

It's not. That is why its at the bottom of the list - I took the list from a post earlier in the thread, I didn't make any changes to it. I see no value in a text link that is 30 words long or something like that. My list is ordered from what I think matters most to what matters least. :)

Ta - makes more sense now.

Does anyone go for bold or strong tags around link text ... do they help serps at all?

[Blogmaster]

it helps, but finding webmasters willing to list you like that ...

[plaster]

100% agreed !
.edu (http://networking.pi.edu) Link?
No I don't think you are splitting hairs at all.

If theme/context is at all relevant, that's how to leverage it. :)

[32paul52]

I understand that anchor text is extremely important. If a site is linking to mine through a banner for example with alt text, would this give me the same boost as normal anchor text?

yes- it does- I saw a fre statistics counter site do this - it ranking for a huge amount of kewords- imaging having a link at the bottom of 500 K pages, by giving away a free counter (invisable to the eye) but using alt rext on small image.

Briallant

PS: it was a PR 8 BTW.........

[Candise]

The search for the perfect link need not be a quest in vain. Consider the following when attempting to attract links...

1. Related
The best links should come from related websites which contain similar and related content, but not the same type of material or content. For example: A link for baby clothing would benefit from a link that discusses baby care.

2. Anchor
The anchor text (the "text" that is used in the link) should include keywords that relate to the topic covered on the web page that is being linked to. Anchor text should be varied; links that all have the same anchor text will appear manipulated and contrived to the search engines. Therefore, the text links should contain a variety of related words.

3. Deep Link
The links should direct visitors to a related page within the website. Do not make the mistake of directing all of the web links to a website's home page. Deep linking, and directing visitors to material that corresponds to content that is closely related to the text link is key. Deep linking appears more natural to search engines, whereas links directing all visitors to a single page or the home page seem unnatural, and could be interpreted as an effort to manipulate search engine ranking.

4. Domain And Page Authority
Search engines trust some websites more than others. Links from "authority" websites have more weight than links from lesser-known websites. Google is said to use PageRank as an indicator of authority. Keep in mind that PageRank is not the only factor used to determine a website's authority. Authority websites should still relate to the website it is pointing to.

5. Nix NoFollow
Links should not contain the NoFollow command. The NoFollow command directs search engines to not "follow" the link. If a link contains "NoFollow" there is no search engine benefit from the link; the only benefit to having the link is any organic traffic that results if the link is clicked. As a result, NoFollow links are nearly worthless.

6. Mix It Up
Links should come from a variety of sources. Fewer links from a larger number of websites will generally "weigh" more than a large number of links from a small number of websites.

7. Surrounding Text
Some search experts claim that the text surrounding a link can influence ranking. Whether this is true or not is difficult to determine. It is more likely that links containing surrounding text are more likely to be relevant, and as a result those links tend to be worth more.

8. Link Position
The location of the link on the page can also influence the value of the link. Some search experts claim that footer links carry less value than links which are integrated into the actual web page content.

9. Type of Link
There does not appear to be a difference between a "text" link's value and an "image" link's value, if the image link contains ALT text. The search engines use the image ALT text in the same way they use the anchor text of a text link.

10. Number Of Outbound Links
A page with fewer links is better than a page with a large number of links. This is because a webpage passes along what is referred to as "link juice". The more "link juice" passed along, the more valuable the link is. The link juice is divided up over all the links on a webpage, so popular websites with few outgoing links are more valuable than those with a large number of links.

11. Link Age
Search engine critics cannot seem to agree as to whether older links or newer links carry more value. When information is vague, it is best to garner both aged links and new links to websites.

12. Vintage Domain
The age of the domain is said to influence link power. More than likely the age of the domain simply contributes to the trustworthiness of the website, and links from trusted websites tend to have more value.

13. One Way Links
Links that are not reciprocal carry more weight than those which are simply link-for-link exchanges.

14. Page Content
A web page that is mostly just a list of links has less value than a web page that contains a mixture of links and content.

15. Updated Pages
Web pages that are updated frequently will typically be spidered by search engines on a more frequent basis. The update will not influence the power of the link, but it will mean that the link will be picked up more quickly by the search engines.

16. Link Surges
Webmasters should be encouraged to gradually build links over time, rather than all at once. The gradual increase is more natural and will have a stronger impact on organic search rankings.