How do you balance keyword-rich and natural anchor text for external links?

External links are links that point from your website to another website. They can help you build authority, credibility, and relevance for your content. But how do you choose the right anchor text for your external links? Anchor text is the clickable text that shows up in a link. It can affect how search engines and users perceive your content and your link profile. In this article, we'll show you how to balance keyword-rich and natural anchor text for external links in SEO copywriting.

1 Why anchor text matters

Anchor text is one of the signals that search engines use to understand the context and topic of your content. It can also influence how users interact with your links and whether they click on them or not. Keyword-rich anchor text is anchor text that contains your target keywords or phrases. It can help you rank higher for those terms and drive relevant traffic to your website. However, using too much keyword-rich anchor text can also backfire. It can make your links look spammy, unnatural, and manipulative. It can also trigger search engine penalties and damage your reputation.

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Joel Davidge

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It's helpful to think of anchor text as instructions or directions on a map. It shows the user where they can go, if they are interested in following that path. From an accessibility perspective, it's imperative that anchor text is clear, and representative of the location it leads to.

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Bhavik Sarkhedi 🪜

I Help Founders, C-level Executives and CEOs Increase Online Presence Organically via LinkedIn, Content Distribution 🌐 & SEO 📈 Personal Branding Consultant & Content Strategist ✍️ with 2 Exits: Write Right & Dad of Ad
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The strategy I employ to balance keyword-rich and natural anchor text for external links involves a blend of SEO best practices and a keen focus on the reader experience. In principle, the use of anchor text should flow seamlessly with the content, ensuring it reads naturally and provides genuine value. While it's beneficial to incorporate relevant keywords into anchor text, overdoing it can lead to what is called 'keyword stuffing', a frowned-upon practice by search engines. In my approach, I aim to diversify the anchor text, use synonyms, and include long-tail phrases related to the keyword to maintain a natural feel.

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2 How to use keyword-rich anchor text

When using keyword-rich anchor text for external links in SEO copywriting, it's important to do so sparingly and strategically. Only use it for relevant, high-quality links that add value to your content and your audience. Focus on your main target keywords or phrases, not every variation or synonym. Limit the number of external links with keyword-rich anchor text per page, and vary it so you don't over-optimize. Also, make sure it fits naturally with your content and your voice.

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Joel Davidge

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Ensuring that anchor text fits naturally into the text is the best practice for SEO. If your anchor text doesn't fit naturally within the flow of your article, you should ask yourself why you're trying to crowbar it in...

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3 How to use natural anchor text

Natural anchor text is an alternative to using your target keywords or phrases and can help you diversify your link profile. Examples of natural anchor text may include the name of the website, the title of the page, a generic term, or a call to action. When using natural anchor text for external links in SEO copywriting, consider linking to websites that are not directly related to your target keywords but still relevant and useful for your content and audience. Additionally, link to authoritative websites in your niche or industry such as Wikipedia, Google, or Amazon. If the external link has a long or complex URL that is hard to read or remember, natural anchor text can help make it more user-friendly. Lastly, use natural anchor text in a way that matches your content and tone while avoiding confusion or misleading your users.

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Joel Davidge

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Adding anchor text to external websites should be done to showcase that your primary aim is to share the best content with your audience. If there is a resource on another site which helps the user with the topic you're covering, it's user-friendly to include the link to it. At the end of the day, by helping them find what they need, you build trust and authority, which can lead to them converting to a buyer or subscriber later down the line.

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4 How to balance keyword-rich and natural anchor text

Balancing keyword-rich and natural anchor text for external links is not an exact science, but requires careful consideration and common sense. There is no single formula or ratio that works for every website, niche, or audience. However, some general guidelines can help you find the right balance between keyword-rich and natural anchor text for SEO copywriting. Aim for a natural and varied mix of anchor text that reflects your content, your keywords, and your users' intent. Make sure to avoid using too much or too little keyword-rich anchor text, as well as using the same keyword-rich anchor text for multiple external links. Additionally, do not use irrelevant or misleading keyword-rich anchor text, as this can damage your credibility and user experience. Lastly, it is important to test and monitor your anchor text performance and make adjustments as needed with tools like Google Search Console, Moz, or Ahrefs.

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How do you balance keyword-rich and natural anchor text for external links?

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1 Why anchor text matters

2 How to use keyword-rich anchor text

3 How to use natural anchor text

4 How to balance keyword-rich and natural anchor text

SEO Copywriting

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