andrew.riker

M Posted 4 years ago

t 9 min read

The first two weeks of March have seen several important SEO developments, some of which may point to even bigger changes further down the road.

First and foremost, Google’s desktop page experience rollout is now complete. So it’s time to start thinking about desktop signals if you haven’t already optimized for them.

The continued growth of IndexNow is also notable, with several well-known software providers signing up to the protocol this month. Is it the future of indexing? It’s a definite maybe.

And there’s news closer to home. BrightEdge acquired Oncrawl as part of our commitment to data-driven optimization. We’re very excited about what it means for our customers.

Let’s take a look at these and other stories in more depth. Here’s your twice-monthly roundup of all the latest SEO news.

Desktop Page Experience Rollout Finishes

Google has now finished implementing its desktop page experience update. The update applies all mobile page experience factors to desktop, with the exception of mobile-friendliness. While not a major change to the algorithm, it’s still essential that SEOs take note.

Page experience signals are relatively easy to optimize from a technical standpoint. If you haven’t already accounted for them, or are unsure about whether your site meets current standards, then it’s time for an audit.

Google Search Advocate John Mueller provided extra context about how page experience works in an office-hours hangout earlier this month.

In summary, he said that page experience needs to be understood in terms of search intent—if a searcher wants to reach a specific website, page experience will likely be redundant—and that the update is unlikely to cause considerable swings in rankings, at least in the immediate term.

Software Providers Add Support for IndexNow

Several software developers have added native support for IndexNow to their products. SEOPress, RankMath and Duda are three examples. Whenever content changes are made to websites running one of these apps, participating search engines will automatically be notified. Millions of sites use the IndexNow protocol, and that number is growing every day.

While they have yet to sign up, Google has shown some interest. At the moment, Bing and Yandex are the only major search engines partnered with IndexNow. But continued uptake on the part of web admins could herald the next phase of website indexing. And it’s good news for SEOs, especially those that run smaller websites that aren’t crawled as much as larger ones.

BrightEdge Acquires Oncrawl

BrightEdge has been making headlines. We partnered with Oncrawl, one of the leading technical SEO data science platforms.

As Jim Yu, one of the founders of BrightEdge, said in his post on the topic: “Oncrawl pioneered big data infrastructure and semantic analysis of SEO data, allowing for much more control and visibility. Oncrawl has rapidly become a must-have for advanced SEOs and has won numerous awards.”

Expect big things to come and more details to follow.

Google Shopping Experience Scorecard Rewards Customer Experience

Google has launched a program for select merchants called the “Shopping experience scorecard.” US-based e-commerce sellers that participate in Buy on Google or free listings may receive a variety of benefits, including a ranking boost and a Google badge, if they meet several customer experience criteria. These include shipping speed, shipping cost, return window and return cost.

You can access an area dedicated to the Shopping experience scorecard in your Google Merchant Center account. The program is optional, so it’s up to you if you want to provide customer service data to Google. However, if you provide a superlative customer experience, there’s no reason not to take advantage of this opportunity. Your competitors certainly will be.

Queries Related to the Russian Invasion Display New Sections on SERPS

As the dreadful war in Ukraine continues to unfold, people are turning to Google for information and updates. Google has responded to this increased search activity by rolling out several new features on some results pages.

Three new sections appear in response to certain queries related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. These are “Estimated losses,” “Photos,” which displays relevant images, and a list of articles providing general background (as opposed to the latest stories) under the header “For context.”

While these new features seem limited to the on-going war, it’s possible that there will be a larger rollout. If this happens, there will likely be an opportunity for news outlets  to optimize their content for greater exposure.

Google Exploring Ways to Show Short-Form Videos in SERPs

In a recent Search Off the Record podcast, Danielle Marshak, who oversees video content in search results, said that Google is experimenting with indexing more short-form videos (under five minutes and filmed in a vertical aspect).

There are a few problems with serving certain types of recorded content. For example, Instagram and Snapchat videos need to be viewed in an app and therefore can’t be indexed. But this isn’t an issue for other platforms like TikTok.

Short-form video is potentially highly relevant when it comes to meeting the intent behind certain queries, making it likely that Google will pursue this avenue.

Danny Sullivan Weighs in on “Personalization” Debate

You might have encountered the narrative that Google intentionally serves personalized results that cater to searcher biases. This questionable activity, so the argument runs, contributes to an “echo chamber effect” and insulates people from alternative views. That’s a pretty hefty claim.

But it’s largely untrue, at least according to Search Liaison Danny Sullivan. The way Google ranks content is much more mundane and based primarily on location and recent queries, in a way that doesn’t create filter bubbles.

In a short exchange on Twitter with UCLA professor Ramesh Srinivasan, Danny Sullivan said, “Our search results at Google are not personalized in the way that's described. Two people searching for the same thing in the same location will largely see the same results.”

Think With Google Publishes Search Insights

In February, Think With Google published a report looking at how user expectations have shifted over the last twelve months. It makes for fascinating reading.

Growth of 800% year over year of terms related to winter vacations points towards a large-scale shift in the way people are spending theri holidays. And searches for “24/7 customer service” have increased by 500% compared to the previous year. So you better start thinking about expanding your support department.

Tatiana Perebeinis of SE Ranking Killed in Ukraine

We would like to end this SEO roundup by remembering Tatiana Perebeinis, formerly the chief accountant for SE Ranking. According to a report by the New York Times, Tatiana and her two children were killed by Russian forces while attempting to flee Irpin in Ukraine. She was a well-known and valued member of the SEO community.

andrew.riker

M Posted 4 years 1 month ago

t 9 min read

How important is anchor text when it comes to page rankings? If you’re uncertain about the answer to that question, you’re not alone. 

Anchor text is a multi-faceted and often misunderstood element of on-page SEO. And grasping it fully will give you a distinct benefit when it comes to developing an effective search engine optimization strategy. 

Let’s take a closer look at anchor text: what it is, why it’s important, and how to adhere to best practices. 

What Is Anchor Text? 

The term “anchor text” refers to a snippet of clickable text that takes a user to a web page. Anchor text masks hyperlinks—the “naked” address of the page that is linked to. It is distinguished from other words in a block of content by its color, which tends to be blue. 

For example, “Mobilegeddon” is the anchor text in the following sentence: Google rolled out Mobilegeddon on April 21, 2015. 

If you look at the HTML code, you will see the following:

<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobilegeddon">Mobilegeddon</a>

Why Is Anchor Text Important? 

Anchor text is important because Google and other search engines use it to determine what pages are about, which in turn affects the terms they rank for. And this isn’t just speculation. A survey of Google patents reveals numerous references to anchor text.

Along with other factors, Google analyzes the anchor text of inbound links to a page to categorize it by subject matter. This process impacts which results are served in response to a particular search query. 

For example, imagine you create a webpage about dog treats, titled “Best Dog Treats.” Among generic anchors like “click here” and “more information,” other sites will likely use text along the lines of “dog treats,” “dog snacks,” and “snack tips for pet owners” when linking.  

Analyzing these terms helps Google categorize your page by topic. Non-related anchors (i.e. anchors unrelated or partially related to your primary keyword) used to link to your content may even result in rankings for terms you hadn’t anticipated or targeted. 

For example, third-party web admins may decide that your content also covers “healthy dog treats” or “inexpensive dog treats” and use these anchors to link to your page. When somebody types “inexpensive dog treats” into Google, your content may appear for that term even though you didn’t directly target it. 

Types of Anchor Text: An Overview

Here is a quick rundown of the different types of anchor text: 

• Rich anchor text: Any link that contains the primary target keyword of a page or a close variation.
• Exact match: A word or phrase that exactly mirrors the central subject of a page, usually in the form of its primary keyword. For example, “artificial grass” linking to a page about artificial grass. 
• Partial match: A phrase that includes some of the words from a page’s primary multi-word keyword. For example, “not all grass is natural.”
• Phrase match: A broader phrase that includes the complete primary keyword of a page. For example, “how to use artificial grass.” 
• Naked: An exact copy of a page’s URL hyperlink. For example: https://site.com/artificial-grass.
• Brand: Anchor text that refers to the brand name of a website. For example, “Get in touch with the friendly folks at BrightEdge for all your SEO needs.”
• Generic: A word or phrase that is unrelated to a web page’s primary keyword. For example, “click here,” “this link,” “here.”
• Image text: The alt text of an image that is also a link. 

It’s also worth mentioning that some link anchors don’t fit into any category. If you run an anchor text analysis of your site, you will likely find lots of random, often incomprehensible, examples.

Anchor Text Best Practices: 

Follow the steps below to ensure your anchor text strategy is in line with best practices: 

1. Avoid Manipulating Anchor Text on Third-Party Sites

The long and short of the matter is that you have no control over how the vast majority of sites link to your content. And this is a good thing. It will result in a natural, balanced anchor text profile that sends all the right signals to the search engines. 

Actively manipulating anchor text, on the other hand, is risky. You are much more likely to incur the wrath of Google if you attempt to artificially shape your link profile. 

2. Use a Suitable Length for Links on Your Site

There is a lot of advice floating around the web that link anchor text should be short. But there’s scant evidence for this claim. 

The idea that all links should be succinct goes against a comment made by Google Search Advocate John Mueller in 2020:

“I don’t think we do anything special to the length of words in the anchor text. But rather, we use this anchor text as a way to provide extra context for the individual pages. 

Sometimes if you have a longer anchor text that gives us a little bit more information. Sometimes it’s kind of like just a collection of different keywords.”

Instead of aiming for arbitrary terseness, think about how you can make anchor text for internal links relevant. Opt for anchors that provide context and clarity when describing the page that is being linked to. 

3. Prioritize Visitor Experience 

Recent algorithm updates strongly suggest that Google is increasingly viewing user experience as a primary metric—perhaps even the primary metric. From responsive design to EAT (expertise, authority and trust), the search giant is putting searchers first. And there’s no reason to think that this trend will change anytime soon. 

When picking the anchor text that you do have control over, you should be guided by one central question: “How can I make this most relevant for my site visitors?” In most cases, users want the anchor text to be relevant. Anchors should provide information, clearly and succinctly where possible, about the linked-to page. 

That said, if you believe that a more generic anchor will improve the user experience, don’t be afraid to use one.  

4. Check for Broken Links

Broken links contribute to a poor site experience. As a result, they can be detrimental from an SEO perspective. Regularly check for broken links and update them accordingly. 

5. Set the Color of Links to Blue

Studies show that blue links generate more clicks. Ever wonder why Google opts for blue in its search results?

If you have to go with another color because of the design of your site, pick one that stands out. 

Conclusion

Anchor text is an unusual topic. In the vast majority of cases, the best strategy from an SEO perspective is to do nothing. You have no control over how other sites link to you. And attempting to interfere can quickly backfire. 

For the links that you do have control over—internal links, select media mentions, the occasional guest post, etc.—following a simple strategy that prioritizes relevance and customer experience is likely to serve you best. 

So there you have it. Everything you need to know about anchor text. Below you’ll find some more resources and guides for you to check out. Just click on the links—ahem, perfectly-written anchor text—below. 

Related Resources From BrightEdge
An SEO for Beginner's Guide
Four Imperatives for Successful SEO Execution in 2022
A Beginner's Guide: Understanding SEO Keywords 101
Long-Tail Keywords: A Comprehensive Guide