SEO Tips: Strategic use of hyperlinks on your blog is key to improving SEO scores.
By I.J. James
The common “click here” link is a missed opportunity. “Click Here” provides no context or value to the user, the search engine, or ADA users. Lacking in SEO value, generic links weaken the impact of optimized title links. Instead, unique and descriptive anchor texts should be employed, ideally using information within the content.
Don’t:
“Click here” doesn’t convey where the hyperlink will take users. “Read more” is another poor choice!
<p>To view our basketball videos, <a href=”videos.html”>click here</a>.</p>
Do:
“Basketball videos” clearly conveys that the hyperlink will take users to a page of videos.
<p>Explore our <a href=”videos.html”>collection of basketball videos</a>.</p>
Link text best practices:
· Stay on topic. Don’t use link text that has no relation to the page’s content.
· Don’t use the page’s URL as the link description unless you have a good reason to do so, such as referencing a site’s new address or if the business URL is very different from the business name/branding.
· Keep descriptions concise. Aim for a few words or a short phrase.
· Pay attention to your internal links too! Improving the quality of internal links can help both users and search engines navigate your site more easily.
This approach not only clarifies the link’s destination but also enhances your site’s navigability and SEO performance. See the Use links wisely section of Google’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide for more tips.
