I would like to add one more reason to use descriptive linked text.

· Frankness – Destination linked web page should has the only one main theme. So linked text should be the same with destination title meta tag and heading – h1 tag. But besides linked text in anchor text, should be title attribute which should be the same with destination description meta tag.

That said, my marketing classes suggested it wasn’t a bad idea. It’s an easy (if cheap and overused) way to give a Call to Action.

Still, I’ve found it more effective to combine the two princiaples. Make your link the Call but use real words. For example:

“Want more? *Check out the archives*.”

“To keep updated, *sign up for the RSS Feed*”

“You can always *check the current show* from the tab at the top.”

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I read, and it looks like it still is, that the top site when searched for the phrase “click here” was Adobe, with 1.68 Billion results. That’s cause of all those (to get Adobe reader, “click here”) phrases on thousands of sites, so the SEO benefit can be seen there.

You just need to be versatile, and long tailed if you’re wanting links pointing back that don’t seem “cookie cutter” methods.

I felt like having “here” as the link was kind of junk-mail-y (that’s not a word, I know) so I won’t do it again. It isn’t any more work to have a link be descriptive, and your point about SEO makes total sense.

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I’ve seen other text links than ‘click here’ be more effective. For instance, adding ‘read more’ to an article will often have a much higher click-through rate than ‘click here.’ So it depends on the usage.

My thought in this post is to raise the idea of not using it unless there’s a specific, targeted purpose.

Barbara, I think you make a good point. Because ‘Click Here’ is useless for SEO, but it IS useful if you are implicitly trying to get someone to take that clicking action. By telling them exactly what to do, using “Click Here” is another tool to influence the brain to make that click.

I can only see this being useful in eCommerce or hardcore Lead Generation, in which everything you do is working to funnel that visitor to a sale, while minimizing any other distractions.

Sometimes I’ll use two links like so:

*Click HERE* to learn more about *making money with the eBay affiliate program*

The two links go within the asterisks. That way, I help my newbie users as well as my SEO.

Enjoy,

Barbara

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