While most people will likely consider internal linking an “off the page” type of SEO, I still included it at this point in this document because it will flow better and make better sense that way.
Anchor Text:
When linking between your documents you should use the words you want to list well for in the anchor text.
<a href=”bla.htm” mce_href=”bla.htm”>Anchor text</a>
If you can not use descriptive anchor text it is known that some search engines still place some weighting on link titles (although Google does not).
<a href=”bla.htm” title=”descriptive text”>Click here</a>
You also can make up for slightly under descriptive site navigation links by providing descriptive footer text link navigation.
A large criteria in search engine rankings is the text used to link to a document. Sometimes it is hard to control how others link to you, but you can always do a good job of providing great links to yourself using internal site linking.
Use Descriptive Anchor Text:
When possible you want to refer to your documents using similar word that are expressed in the title. Let’s say I have a page about 5 HTP that is linking to a page
about the History of 5 HTP. I would not use the word “history” to create the link. I would use the phrase “5 HTP history” or “History of 5 HTP” in the link as it would help the relevancy of both pages.
Click Here:
Sometimes it is necessary to use a “click here” link, but most times you can get around it. You cannot always write a link that helps the relevancy of the page that it’s on, but almost always you can write a good descriptive link that contains a keyword or keyword phrase which will help the page the link is going to.
Images as Links:
It is better to use text as links than images, but if you use an image ensure you place a descriptive image alt tag on it.
<img src=”http://www.site.com/bla.jpg” alt=”5 HTP History.” >
If you use image navigation links it is advisable to place descriptive text links at the bottom of the page to help search engines figure out the relevancy of your pages.
Spamming Alt Tags:
Image links are likely not weighted as heavily as text links because they are more susceptible to spam.
<… alt=”5HTP 5-HTP 5 Hydroxytryptophan 5hydroxytryptophan 5 HYDROXYTRYPTOPHAN”>.
Using an alt tag incorrectly, as done above can hurt more than help. The search engines are generally rather liberal, but it also does not look appealing to the eye to see that long string on a rollover. What’s even worse is some browsers will read that random string to the computer user and your site will confuse the hell out of them.
Yahoo! actively edits their search results. If they see signs of artificial ranking manipulation they may remove your site from their index. Some competitors can turn you in and get you delisted as well.
Linking to Page Anchors:
On longer pages you can use text to link within the same document. Frequently FAQ pages have links at the top of the page which link to the answers of the associated questions. These links look like:
<a href=”#anchor1″>FAQ Anchor Text</a>
You then place the anchor you are linking to somewhere else on that same page.
<a name=”anchor1″></a>