Hi, I have a question about the proper use of anchor text in backlinks and how to avoid getting penalized by Google. Is it possible to overuse certain anchor text and actually get penalized for it. I've heard this phrase "backlink spamming" thrown around. My link strategy has been to exchange blogroll links with relevant high PR (PR 2+) dating blogs and get site-wide links in return. I've been able to grow my backlink count from 400 to 950 in the past 2 weeks doing this. So, with this rate of link growth using the same anchor text in each case, does Google reward or penalize me? Can it be viewed as backlink spamming? My domain is 4 months old and the sites on page 1 vary from 1999 - 2005. In the recent Google update, my site went from page 1 position 4 for one keyword combo to page 4 position 34. This is the anchor text I've been very aggressive in getting site-wide links for. In contrast, for another keyword combo, I experimented and just had one blog site exchange links with me using this alternative anchor text and went from page 11 to page 1! I'm very confused. Many Thanks for Any Advice George
There are numerous posts on this forum regarding the value of varying the anchor text for competitive keywords and phrases. Also, at 4 months the site is quite new and Google will roll back to earlier data from time to time. Don't get too upset when these things happen. Keep building quality content and quality links. Vary the anchor text on quality, relevant sites. Good things happen to those who wait... and work like Hell while they wait!