In this article, let’s discuss about as how we can understand the concept of Link Properties in SEO. Key to getting good page ranks on search engines is simple. You need links. Not just any links, but permanent, relevant links that will direct targeted traffic to your site. How does one go about achieving this? There are several important on page and structural aspects to be addressed – Anchor Text, Link Location and Link Intention.
Anchor Text is the actual text visitor’s click on to follow a link. Rather than using the phrase “click here”, which offers no semantic value whatsoever, using a phrase that conveys keywords will weigh more favorable with search engines, eg “Here’s a great site about rugby history” rather than “click here” This not only provides the link but offers additional Semantic Relevance. Where possible, this is the optimum way to do links.
Link location is the next aspect. This refers to where in a site’s structure your link is found, shallow or deep. Shallow links are to your site’s homepage or top level category pages. Deep links are links to more specific pages such as specialized articles, blog posts or other content. Search engines see them as carrying more weight.
Search engines like deep links, as they are interpreted as having originated from people finding your deep page content useful and wanting to share it with their visitors. They seem natural and more valid. When shallow links are too prevalent it seems spammy to the search engines. This is more important for larger sites since smaller sites don’t have much inherent depth (Tip – get as much depth in your site content as possible)
Also important is the location of the linking page. Being linked to from somebody’s homepage, an advertising page or a relevant quality content page carries different weight with the search engines.
Link Intention is something to always keep in mind when evaluating the relative search engine value of a given link. If a link identifies you as a reference on a specific topic, that link carries great weight, versus one of many links in a directory (which is still helpful, depending on the exclusivity and trustworthiness of said directory). However links that are motivated by money, relationships or other less trustworthy motivations are more likely to be prevented from passing value by the search engine algorithms.
This doesn’t mean it won’t help your rankings now, but search engines have improved with time, and are increasingly getting better at measuring the quality and intention of link patterns.
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