How to Effectively Share the Link Love (and Help SEO)
When linking to another site, there are a few ways you can do it. You can give them the standard, “click here” link, which is the worst possible way, you can give them a long, descriptive link, or you can give them an awesome anchor that will help them in their SEO causes.
Explanation to non-HTML savvy users: I use the term “anchor” a lot throughout this article, and it simply refers the text that is linked to a page. The text between the <a> tags.
“Click Here” Links, Need not Apply
This kind of link is something you should avoid at all costs. In every single situation, you can avoid this. Linking to a site with an anchor of “click here”, “clicky”, “click this”, etc… may send them some traffic and maybe some Technorati rank, but you’re not really helping them out from a SEO standpoint. You liked the article (or whatever, this is just an example) so you want to help them out.
This is a really cool article, click here to read it.
That is an effective waste of a link right there.
The Descriptor, Possible Long-Tail Benefits
This method, comes in right ahead of “click here” style links in uselessness, but they can have some benefits. When a user links to a page of yours in this style:
This really cool article on web design really helped me, check it out!
It’s not all bad. It’s not maximizing on the SERP possibilities, there are some long-tail (what is long-tail?) chances in there. Assuming your site is in good terms with Google and your article is about designing special effects with Photoshop, you could pick up some really random searches like “really cool special effects design” which hit some key words from that anchor, and add some that would be in the title of the page.
I won’t go in too deep on this, because the hypothetical-ness is in question, as the hypothetical site would need to be set up properly and the hypothetical article would have to be written right.
The Jackpot: Perfect Anchors
Giving short, laser targeted links is how to properly share the link love. Just to stop and explain link love, it’s simply when you link out to someone else, for whatever reason (I’ve had that question too many times). So, back to the hypothetical special effects article, if I wanted to link to it, I would do it like this:
This special effects article was really helpful.
What’s the article about? Special effects. What anchor should you use? Special effects!
Also, when exchanging links with someone in a blogroll or whatever, I always ask them what anchor they want. Usually it’s their name, because everyone wants to rank for their name, but sometimes it’s good to target another term, once you feel secure with your name.
Also Note…
Just because you don’t get an exact word in for a specific term doesn’t mean you won’t rank for that. I’m not saying you can only rank for the anchor text you get. There are so many on page factors (and off page) that affect where you come up when someone is looking for something.
Doing this and promoting good use of “sharing the link love” so to speak may not benefit you for doing it, but when other users do it for you, that’s when it counts. So set the example 
And subscribe to my feed.
Leave a comment
cherries
July 7th, 2007 at 1:01 AM
Very nice article Connor
L3ggy
July 7th, 2007 at 4:46 AM
Agreed. I live the link at the end lol, subscribe to me feed.
Sam Breadstone
July 7th, 2007 at 5:27 AM
Nice, I see that everywhere!
Andy
July 7th, 2007 at 7:25 AM
Me too Sam. It saves time too I reckon. If you’re linking to other peoples stuff it’s very considerate though Connor
L3ggy
July 7th, 2007 at 8:32 AM
You can always link to my site, http://www.henrylegge.co.uk
cherries
July 7th, 2007 at 5:00 PM
Hey if we’re talking about advertising our websites than you should check out my site!
Connor Wilson
July 7th, 2007 at 5:40 PM
Feel free, but keep in mind I can edit comments
You might just be supporting some nasty stuff
L3ggy
July 8th, 2007 at 6:02 AM
Cherries. Don’t spam/advertise. Lol i don it a lot but as you may have seen have decided to do proper comments.
I have a question Connor. Does bbcode work in comments? *
This is a good post, i always use links like that when i can. And with the annoying “click me” link’s although they do get me wanting to click it, so they do serve a purpose, they’re useless in SEO terms.
Also talking of advertising can i have a link on your blog roll when i open my blog? I have a link system done so tell me and i will add you link.
*I tried the link and once the post was submited it didn’t get accepted.
LucidHouse Studio
July 8th, 2007 at 6:25 AM
Yeah, linking should always be the most simple factor for readers.
Short, expressive and very easy to understand.
Connor Wilson
July 8th, 2007 at 10:01 AM
BBCode doesn’t work, but HTML does. Keep it valid, and close everything kthx.
L3ggy
July 8th, 2007 at 10:25 AM
Ah thanks is there other html?
test
test
Russell Wagner
July 8th, 2007 at 11:28 PM
Very well wrote blog post. I personally get annoyed when people use the anchor text “click here” as it is only getting some hits but not very effective SEO wise. Keep up your SEO posts!
Adam
July 31st, 2007 at 12:53 PM
Excellent post. I must confess I would be found guilty of having some anchor text as “click here”. I only do it when I can’t think of anything else to say or it doesn’t flow with the sentence.
Thomas Sinfield
September 16th, 2007 at 9:45 PM
well I guess I had better stop those “click here” links. I do them way to many times, and I need to start focusing a bit more about the SEO of my blog.
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