Anchor links are one of the main building blocks of SEO writing. Search engine optimization without the correct use of anchor links would just not work. That is why it is important to note their significance and focus on using them in ways that unlock their full potential. The first step in doing so is knowing what anchor links really are and what they represent.
The second step in improving your SEO skills regarding the usage of anchor links is to understand how to create anchor links, such that each anchor link on your web page can properly fulfill its intended purpose. The purpose is mainly to increase the appeal of your web page for the reader and the search engines - more of what we will be discussed below in this article.
Image taken from Strikingly user’s website.
However, to care enough to put in the effort needed to achieve either of these things, you need to know and understand the impact anchor links have on your SEO scores. You need to understand the mechanisms that search engines choose their top results with and how you can work around them. That is why in today’s article we will be talking about all these things and more!
What is Anchor Link?
An anchor link is a link on a web page strategically placed there to ease navigation throughout the webpage. Meaning by clicking on an anchor link, you can skip to a different part of the same webpage without having to waste time scrolling. Their main purpose is to make all the information on a single website more accessible and ensure people do not skip your page due to navigation difficulties.
Anchor links can be thought of as a particular type of ID assigned to words or phrases on a web page to establish a link between two points in the same article. They make it easier to navigate and easier to understand why certain information is included in a particular article or web page.
To further emphasize the relevance of anchor links in the world of search engine optimization, you can look at it this way: a web page without an anchor link is like going on a treasure hunt without a map. Wherever you end up, you will not be able to tell whether you should continue on that path or not.
Similarly, anchor links help viewers and readers make quick and efficient decisions regarding the benefits or lack thereof your web page can provide for them.
Image taken from Strikingly user’s website
How to Create Anchor Links?
Unlike in the case of hyperlinks, anchor links do not have a predetermined URL that they need to be linked to. We have to create an ID that will link two parts of the same webpage. This gives us a little creative freedom and a break from the often monotonous acts needed to perform to achieve search engine optimization.
This id needs to be typed into the HTML editor to establish an anchor link between both. Let’s say you want to jump from the very top of the web page to the formal introduction paragraph. You will type in the ID in the HTML editor with the format id=”introduction” in front of the tag of whichever word or phrase you want your anchor link to take the reader to. Now go back to the main page and find the point with the actual anchor link on it. Select the ‘insert link’ option according to the interface of whatever software you are using and add the ID there with the hashtag # sign before it. The step-by-step procedure on how to create anchor links is as follows.
- Open the HTML editor.
- Locate the tag of the part you want the anchor link to be linked to.
- Write the ID in the format of id=”introduction”.
- Return to the main interface of your writing software.
- Find the point where the anchor link needs to be added.
- Select the ‘insert link’ option and type in the ID with the hashtag sign preceding it.
- Repeat the same process for however many anchor links you want to insert on your web page.
Why are Anchor Links Important for Search Engine Optimization?
Anchor links form the basis of a user-friendly interface on any web page someone might be viewing on the internet. Anchor links are the often overlooked and underused feature of search engine optimization tools that can advance your SEO skills to the next level with minimal amounts of effort.
Image taken from Strikingly user’s website
Here are 5 reasons anchor links are important for enhancing your website’s search rankings.
1. They Make Your Website Content Optimized for Search Engines
The most helpful thing that anchor links do for your web page is that they give search engines a strong confirmation regarding the content of your web page. This makes your website appear as one of the top results whenever someone searches for anything remotely related to the topic of your web [age. And if you are an SEO content writer, you surely know that this is one of the most important yet also primary goals of search engine optimization.
2. They Help the Viewers Skim Through the Entire Page Quickly
Secondly, anchor links help viewers read the entire web page without actually reading it. If something they are looking for is to be found further down and there is no anchor link to indicate, they may click off the web page. But if they see the anchor link, their chances of remaining on the webpage for a longer time and your content garnering more attention for them increases suddenly and by a lot.
3. They Integrate Different Posts of a Blog Together
If you use anchor text to link different blog posts of a website, you are simply integrating all your blog content. This boosts the search rankings for your overall blog. This also helps drive traffic from one page of your blog or website to another. For example, suppose a visitor is reading one of your blog articles and finds an anchor link linking it to another article on a similar article or topic, or interest. In that case, the viewer will most likely click on it and read the other post as well. This will increase their engagement with your site and increase the time they spend browsing through the pages on your domain.
Image taken from Strikingly user’s website
4. They Reduce the Bounce Rate of Your Website
If a user has to leave your website to get some information that they cannot find on your web pages, that will cause an increase in your site’s bounce rate. By adding anchor links that connect different pages and sections of your website together, you can keep your site visitors engaged by providing them the right channel to go from one kind of information to another without having to leave your site.
5. They Give an Emotional Appeal to Your Web Pages
The last main reason behind anchor links being one of the building blocks of SEO writing is that it gives you a chance to make your webpage one with a more emotional appeal than simply telling your readers to ‘click here’. The simple sense of personality and feeling of closeness this creates for whoever reads the web page also helps it gain more traffic through the simple workings of word of mouth.
The Use of Anchor Links on Strikingly
Strikingly is a website builder that provides the tools for any layman to create a professional website independently without having to indulge in any programming or coding skills. We come up with new features and updates to ease out the web development process for our users and provide a lot of content and knowledge about websites to our users through our blog.
Image taken from Strikingly
Here on Strikingly, we use anchor links to connect all our blog posts with each other. The purpose is to make our blog a comprehensive platform for you to learn all you need to know about web design, web development, web maintenance, and the various digital marketing methods that can be conducted through websites that are built on our platform.
If you build a website on Strikingly, you will also be able to use our in-built features that will enhance your site’s SEO and keep its visibility high in search engines. All the templates we offer are ready to use, easy to navigate, and responsive enough to be smoothly browsed from different kinds of devices.
To truly understand the benefits of building a website on Strikingly, you would actually need to do so by signing up for a free account on our platform today.
