OK to change the anchor text of a link?
-
I have built a link on behalf of a ciient in a long, well-written article on a reputable website that accepts contributor accounts. I therefore control the link.
I have since realised that the anchor text of the link could be optimized much better than it currently is (while still only being a partial match). Would I be punished by the algorithm for going in and changing the link?
I know it's not 100% "natural," but then we're SEOs, and i don't think it's too implausible that a website owner may go in and do the same... Maybe if I add some text as well, it would make things look more natural?
-
If they crawl the article again, and notice that the anchor text has changed, then it could put up a red flag.
Yes, indeed. I agree with Bernadette.
Every site should have some anchor text diversity. It keeps you from looking like you are trying to manipulate the search engines. This particular anchor text, which is not exactly what you want, could actually be extremely beneficial if lots of your other links have highly optimized anchor text.
I would not tweak this link. Google is watching.
-
Zakkyg, if the link was in an article, and Google has already crawled the link, then keep in mind that they DO know what that anchor text is, and have noted it. If they crawl the article again, and notice that the anchor text has changed, then it could put up a red flag. Typically, when an article is written, it's complete--if the anchor text changes or a link is added, it could potentially be turned into a paid link or "optimized" link, which is what you're doing.
Generally speaking, you have a limited time to get the anchor text updated... if it's an older post then it may not make a difference.
-
It would be highly unlikely you would be penalized for updating the anchor text in one blog. I would be more concerned if you had an alarmingly high number of exact match anchor text links pointing to your client's site.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Link Juice
Do you guys think having a guest post close to the root domain has more link juice that being in subfolders? example.com/123 vs example.com/nov/123 Both pages have the same amount of internal links and both pages don't have external links
Intermediate & Advanced SEO | | arango201 -
Menu anchor text and PR / Juice Flow
Hello, I have a top menu coded this way with an (it is automatic with my wordpress template). Can google read pass the juice and read the anchor text with this type of code or no ? <nav id="top-menu-nav"> myanchortext </nav>
Intermediate & Advanced SEO | | seoanalytics0 -
Do authority brand (business name) anchor text links still drive SEO rankings?
i have a question about links....if you get a link from a really good authority e.g. bbc.co.uk - website but the anchor text for that link is only your business name e.g Moz and not a chosen SEO keyword target..do you still stand to gain in terms of your overall SEO rankings?
Intermediate & Advanced SEO | | CayenneRed890 -
Do banners pass link juice
Hello there, If we place an animated gif banner on a website will this pass link juice in the same way as if we just had a link? Obviously the website would need to be "Follow" Thanks Robert
Intermediate & Advanced SEO | | roberthseo0 -
For those of you that used LINK DETOX.
Did you go ahead and remove all the TOXIC and HIGH RISK links? Just the toxic? Were you successful with the tool?
Intermediate & Advanced SEO | | netviper0 -
Change of web hosting?
Does change of web hosting have any effects on a websites SEO?and what are the factors that need to be taken care off while changing web hosting company in terms of seo perspective.
Intermediate & Advanced SEO | | HiteshBharucha0 -
Link to domain
Let's say i want to rank for rental car service and purchases a domain rental-car-service and creates a site http://www.rental-car-service.com There will be few persons who won't use anchor text to link to the site, but will simply link using URL ( in this case http://www.rental-car-service.com ) So, will a link to http://www.rental-car-service.com from another site using http://www.rental-car-service.com as anchor text help the keyword rental car service ?
Intermediate & Advanced SEO | | seoug_20050