Page Contents
- 1 What Does Branded Anchor Text Signal?
- 2 What Does Keyword Anchor Text Signal?
- 3 Related Posts
- 4 How Much Branded Anchor Text Is Natural?
- 5 Anchor Text Patterns That Can Trigger Link Spam Signals
- 6 Signs Your Anchor Text Profile Looks Manipulative
- 7 How to select anchor text based on context, not keywords?
- 8 When Branded Anchors Are More Likely to Be Included
- 9 When Keyword Anchors Are More Likely to Be Included
- 10 The Role of Context in Anchor Selection
- 11 Why the Choice Depends on the Situation
- 12 Anchor Choice as a Context Decision
Both branded and keyword anchor text have different purposes to fulfill in the context of a backlink system. For instance, branded anchor text helps to identify the source of the reference. Keyword anchor text, on the other hand, helps to describe the topic of the referenced webpage.
There is no clear-cut rule that can be followed in deciding whether to use branded or keyword anchor text. The choice of anchor text depends on the context of the reference. In most cases, it depends on the content of the sentence in which the reference has been made.
Understanding the meaning of branded anchor text will help to make a clear decision about its usage in a sentence compared to keyword anchor text.
What Does Branded Anchor Text Signal?
When talking about anchor text, branded anchor text includes the name of a company, website, or platform. In most cases, branded anchor text serves as a reference to the source.
When an author mentions a company or website in a sentence, the best way to reference it is by using the branded anchor text. In this context, the anchor text acts as an identifier.
From an SEO point of view, branded anchor text helps to signal recognition when you select anchor text in context. In this setting, the signal being sent to the algorithm is that the website or company itself has been referenced in the content.
Since branded anchor text naturally comes up in the context of referencing a source, it can be used in cases of editorial references to companies or discussions about tools or platforms.
When using branded anchor text in a sentence, there is no need to change the wording of the sentence. In most cases, the brand name comes up naturally in the sentence.
you can read more about how branded and exact match anchor text differ.
What Does Keyword Anchor Text Signal?
The anchor phrase is essentially a semantic indicator of what the user is going to find when they click on the link. This type of anchor is often found embedded in sentences where there is already a discussion of a particular concept.
For search engines, keyword anchors offer semantic meaning. They associate the linking page with what is represented on the page they are linking to.
Because it is a description of a concept rather than a brand, it is part of the semantic meaning of the sentence.
In many cases, it is a natural fit when there is a discussion of a particular subject.
When Branded Anchors Are More Likely to Be Included
Branded anchors are more likely to naturally appear when there is a discussion of a particular subject.
For example, if there is a discussion of a publication, a tool, or a company within a sentence, it is more likely that it is going to be a branded anchor.
This is more likely to happen in situations where there is a need to reference a particular subject.
This includes situations where there is:
- reference of research done on a particular website
- mention of a company or brand as part of an explanation
- reference of a tool, service, or platform
In these situations, the brand is what is actually being talked about. Using a keyword phrase would require changing the sentence structure.
Because of its similarity to how people naturally reference sources, it is more likely to appear in editorial content.
When Keyword Anchors Are More Likely to Be Included
Keyword anchors generally fit in more naturally if the link is used to explain a concept or idea, not necessarily a brand name.
In such cases, the sentence focuses on a topic, and the link extends that topic by referring to a webpage that explores the topic further.
In other cases, the sentence may discuss an idea, not a brand, so the keyword anchor may integrate more naturally into the sentence.
For example, in a sentence that explains a concept or introduces a term, the keyword anchor may explain the concept directly.
Because the keyword anchor explains the subject that the sentence is discussing, the keyword anchor integrates into the sentence.
The Role of Context in Anchor Selection
The context that surrounds the link may affect the naturalness of the keyword anchor versus the branded anchor.
The sentence that the link appears in may indicate which type of anchor feels more natural.
For example, if the sentence already refers to a specific brand or webpage, the branded anchor may feel more natural.
This is similar to the way links are formed on the web. Writers tend to choose words based on the existing words in the sentence rather than words that sound unnatural.
This is the reason why the choice of the anchor text depends on the situation.
Why the Choice Depends on the Situation
There are two types of anchor text: brand and keyword.
- A brand anchor text refers to the source of the information.
- A keyword anchor text refers to the topic of the information.
- Both types of anchor text can occur in backlinks based on the context.
One might sound more appropriate than the other depending on the context. This explains the reason behind the presence of these types of anchor text.
Anchor Choice as a Context Decision
The choice of brand and keyword anchor text depends on the context.
This is because the anchor text appears in the context of the sentence.
If the link is pointing to a source, then the brand anchor text might sound appropriate.
If the link is used to explain the topic, then the keyword anchor text might sound appropriate.
This is because the links appear in sentences.
