First lets answer a common question about Anchor text links. What are anchor text links? Yes that is a frequently asked question that new WordPress Website Builders ask.
The best answer to this is that anchor text links are keywords that link to your website. For example instead of putting just http://letsbuildwebsites.com you can put something like this WordPress Website Host.
You use the keywords that relate to your website so when people press on the link they get an idea of where they are going. This is also very important for both Search Engine Optimization and for your real human visitors!
Anchor Text can also be called Title text or Hyperlink text.
Where Do You Use Anchor Text Links?
Sometimes you cannot use anchor text link and have to put any ugly original link to your website. Here are some places you can use anchor text:
- In link directories. They usually ask for the title of your website (which is the anchor text) and the URL in a separate box. Then they will make the anchor text the link to your website.
- In blog commenting..most blogs ask for your url and then a name or title which will be made into the anchor text. If you are not using Commentluv you should be. See the advantages to using the Commentluv Plugin.
- When exchanging links with other website owners you include the Title, the URL, and the description. The Title will be made into the anchor text that will point to your website url.
- On forums you can use BBC (bulletin board code) to leave links using anchor text. This could be in a forum signature or in a forum post. What is BBC code and how do you write BBC code in a forum post?
There are strict rules about leaving links on websites..If you are seen to be spamming or over selling you will be banned from that website. All websites have their own rules. Please also see our 18 link building ideas.
Where Can’t You Use Anchor Text Links?
One example of where you cannot use anchor text links is yahoo answers. You can only post the original link as there is no provision to write in code. Another example might be a profile link like the one you get on Youtube.com.
How Do You Make an Anchor Text Link?
It is easy when you get asked for a title or an anchor for your link; however when you have to enter HTML link code yourself it might be a bit more difficult. Here are some examples of simple text links with anchor or title text.
HTML anchor text link:
<a href=http://www.wordpresswebsitehost.com>WordPress Website Host</a>
Green = the anchor text
Yellow = the link code going to my website
If you want to link to another website simply change the website URL and the ANCHOR text.
BBC anchor text link:
This code can vary from forum to forum as there are many variations of this code.
[url=http://www.wordpresswebsitehost.com]WordPress Website Host[/url]
Green = the anchor text
Yellow = the link code going to my website
Here is a forum post about “What is BBC and how do I use it?” Also please join my forum to chat more about building websites and SEO.
How to Make an Anchor Text Link in a WordPress Post?
1. When you are making a WordPress post in the dashboard of your website simply select the text you want to make into anchor text.
2. Then click on the link icon in the above menu.
3. Enter in the URL you want to link to. This can be any URL.
4. Press on add link button to finish. Now your text you chose will be a link.
5. If you want o browse for another page on your site to link to simply press “Or link to existing content” to see more options.
See this screenshot for more details.
You can also choose a target which will make the link open in the same window, a new window, and so on. All you have to do is check the box that says “Open link in a new window/tab”.
Making an Anchor text link is very important as it will tell Search Engines and your website visitors what your page is about.
Making Your Anchor Text Relevant
This is the most important aspect of creating anchor text. If you anchor text says Computer Tips then when the person clicks on that link and reaches the page it better have computer tips there. If you do not match the anchor text with the content on the destination you are not being truthful and will ruin your reputation and your website bounce rate. This counts for links coming into your website and internal links within your website content.
My REPORTS are already FREE so you only need to sign up here if you are:
- Serious about building websites and making money.
- An action taker!
- Not a time waster.
- A positive person.
This post was written by...
mitz – who has written 197 posts on Lets Build Websites.
I am addicted to internet marketing and making money online. Who wouldn't want to live that life? I started out with one website as a hobby and now have over 20. Building websites and making money online is not that hard. You have to actually take action to make money...that is the biggest hurdle! :)
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey thanks for the info!!!!!!!! i m really confused coz my editor has two option one similer as explained by you link and other is ancher text….which one is better and why???
Is it okay to leave a link on a comment box? would that be acceptable?
we need to stop focusing on numbers that don’t mean anything. We need to stop worrying about making Google happy and start focusing on making our customers happy.
Having the right anchor text also makes the real human happy because then they have an idea of what is on the page when they visit. You cannot leave a link saying “click here” without explaining what it is they are clicking on..Therefore anchor text helps.
Hi Mitz,
Thanks for your valuable suggestions. However, I think this post would be perfectly completed if you added some information about the use of Forum BB code for anchor texts. Also, can you write a post about how can anyone select the best anchor texts for his website?
Have a nice day……. Hope more informative posts from you like this one!
Yes I think I should expand on this too! Thanks for the great suggestions!
You are welcome. Keep up the spirit!
Hello, thank you, it is very interesting and helpfull. I would like to know if I leave the address of my blog which http://www.london-cheap.com, does it count as a link and anchor text or is better to leave the address of my blog in the website line just above, and does it count as a link ? Also, does comnentluv is still available ? Since a lot of plugins do not work anymore on Firefox ? Keep up the good job.
It is good to leave the straight URL sometimes as this makes your link building seem natural.
Finally you helped me understand anchor texts.. Can’t tell you how many sites I went to before this before you finally laid it out easy and clear. Thanks for the read, bookmarked your blog, I’ll be back another time!
-Josh
josh bolstad recently posted..Site is growing substantially!
Thats great Josh..Glad you understand!
Very good information, thank you for taking the time to visit my facebook fan page.
Thank you for your post. What I still don’t understand is how do I tell when to leave HTML vs BBC link. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Derek
Derek recently posted..So You Want To Have VISIBLE Abs
Hi there…all forums use BBC but there are a few variations. Thankfully there is usually a small icon to help you insert a link into a post forum thread or your forum signature.
In article writing (most websites) and in your website html is used…
Hey Mitz
Thank you for your help. I’m fairly new to this. Btw: what do you use to monitor your comments so you respond so fast. Any particular software or method?
Thank you in advance.
Derek
Hi Mitz,
nice tutorial there on the anchor text.
Yes, BBC is mainly used at forums but there are many variations, do you have any sample of more BBC anchor text variations?
@Derek, i think you can check the box and once there are followup comments, you will b emailed. Thus no software is required.
Michael recently posted..Digital Signage and Digital Displays Solution
Hey Michael
here is a tutorial I put together a few years ago.
http://forum.tips4pc.com/index.php?topic=115.0
I often see people who have only a portion of their comment name as a link. What I mean is, I’ll see someone whose name in their post will be “Mike from Some Blog,” but only the “Some Blog” part will be the link, while the “Mike from” part is just plain non-hyperlinked text. I’d like to know how to do that.
I’m still trying to learn how to use anchor text especially in trackback excerpts
im trying my sample here
anchor text
I am trying to find out how to add the title tag to BBC code, is it possible? Thanks
Do you mean how to make link in forum bulletin board code?
They are all a bit different but I use:
[url=http://www.tips4pc.com]Tips4pc[/url]
very nice tutorial, thanks for sharing.
PTC recently posted..Verified PTC Sites
Thanks for the effort you took to expand upon this post so thoroughly.
Why valid html code is important to your web site’s search engine optimization efforts and consequent high rankings! Such invalid html codes… A single missing bracket in your html code can be the cause your web page cannot be found in search engines… Providentially, there are free services that allow you to check and fix the validity of your html codes.
Gulam Ali recently posted..ASCII – EBCDIC Converter
Did you know that the Basic HTML Color set is a combination of 216 color? You can find a tabulated view of the basic HTML color on the internet. It can be handy when you need to quickly choose a standard HTML color for your site or any other project.
HTML color recently posted..Color Finder
Actually that’s more useful than most people think. On a side note is it true that using specific color sets can attract SEO attention? I’ve heard rumors of it but never actually got anything more than that.
Michael recently posted..Review of MySurveycom
{ 1 trackback }