How important is varied anchor text?

[pcarlow]

How important is it to vary your anchor text? I read else where that if Google sees the same anchor text for all your IBL's it could be considered over optimization. Any truth to this? How much do you try and vary your IBL anchor text?

[awall19]

it is logical to mix it up some. it would probably eventually be an easy thing to filter if links all used the exact same text.

most of my links are
seo book

but some are
search engine optimization
or
seo book: search engine optimization

I prefer to mix it up with at least a couple different varieties

[PhilC]

So the variations should be done in such a way as to include the targetted keyword in the SAME way always?

Example .... Targetted keyword - Web Designer
Anchor texts : 'web designer', 'web designer guide', 'hire web designer' rather than, say, 'web site designer'?

[awall19]

i do not always have it the same. just think of a couple logical variations.

there is no set guidelines because when you mix it up you are not doing it just for today, but also for whatever may happen in the near future.

[bcombs]

I'm not sure I believe there's an over-optimization penalty for anchor text. First of all, it would be penalizing you for what others do, which is supposedly against Google policies.

Plus, it would mean that many sites would not show up for searches on the firm's name. Can you imagine how many links that little company in Redmond, Washington has with the anchor text of "Microsoft"?

But they come up first in a Google search.

Just my opinion...



Brian

[SVB]

yeah I dunno how there could be a penalty. You cannot directly control how others link to your website.

[PhilC]

Look at it this way ... the penalty (if any) would be for those who go on a link buying spree ...

[SVB]

How do google know if I have bought a link or if that site just linked to me?

[bcombs]

And, what (other than cost) is keeping me from having one of my competitors delisted for a particularly important keyphrase?


Brian

[PhilC]

Though human reviews of sites are rare, Google has been known to do it. As such, I am not aware of any sites that have incurred penalties simply because they have too many links with the same anchor text. But Google has started blocking the passing of PR from certain sites (it is safe to assume that these have been human reviewed). Links from blacklisted sites do not show up as backlinks.

Hence, even though you aren't incurring any penalty directly, indirectly though, you lose.

[John Scott]

I don't think varied anchor text is that important. Age of the links is, IMO, more important.

[pcarlow]

That's an interesting theory John. Similar to the sandbox concept for sites, perhaps there's a sandbox for links also. I don't know, I think people give Google to much credit for their search algorithims being smarter than they really are.

[John Scott]

Originally Posted by pcarlow

That's an interesting theory John. Similar to the sandbox concept for sites, perhaps there's a sandbox for links also..

The sandbox, IMO, is for links, not sites.

[bcombs]

The behaviour of the sandbox would actually fit that better, IMO.




Brian

[ferret77]

I think the sandbox is bs

and I think that , and of cource i have no proof that varing links a little helps

[awall19]

I have seen links show positive results within less than a week recently. I think the sandbox deal is more based on larger link changes or link changes in exceptionally competitive field

[bcombs]

Ahhh, but the concept of the sandbox is that something happens that greatly improves ones SERPs, but that benefit goes away after a while.


Brian

[ferret77]

I still think someone at web pro world just made that up to have an excuse to send a newsletter

[awall19]

the term was actually coinded on search engine roundtable's blog or from a forum post they linked to...it wasn't from web pro world

[John Scott]

http://www.seroundtable.com/archives/000417.html