Even if Google doesn't notice your links - this is a great way to get more traffic naturally and to get people talking about your site. But while links have remained important through all of Google's changes, the way we use them has changed.
No longer is it a matter of 'he (or she) with the most links wins' - now it's about trying to build links in a way that represents quality and relevance. It's much more about quality than it is about quantity and if Google suspects you may be trying to play the system then your site will quickly get penalized.
Something else that has changed is the nature of the anchors we use in our links. Again, the idea is to try and make the links look natural and informative and with keywords no longer holding the same sway they once did this has resulted in a very different approach.
Likewise using your URL is no longer such a good idea either, as Google has stated that it no longer likes 'keyword URLs'. Fortunately for you, you've stumbled upon this recent guide to creating anchors the way Google likes...
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What is the Best Anchor Text?
The best anchor text to use is first and foremost varied anchor text. In other words, you shouldn't attempt to use the same keyword every time you request an anchor because this will start to look very much like link manipulation. By using lots of different phrases as your anchor, you will make your links profile look much more natural.
This is the key in general - to think about the way that people actually share links when they're not being coerced to and to make yours look like that. This will often mean just using phrases like 'click here' and 'this useful link' rather than anything meaningful. Likewise, it will sometimes mean just pasting your full URL.
This is how your links would like appear if they were shared natural on forums or social networks but they might look different again were they to be used in a blog post by a professional writer. As such then you should also think about using link anchors occasionally that look contextual.
For instance this might mean something like: 'an interesting list of the best retro games' or 'some helpful tips on weightlifting for the elderly'. This works well because it also helps to describe to Google what the subject of your article is - doing the same role as a keyword might have done but in a more advanced way.
It's anchors like this, combined with the context that your site is in, that will help Google to work out the subject of your article so make sure you compose these smartly.
Mike KAbout the Guest Author:
Today's guest post is authored by Mike K, an internet marketing consultant at Wisdek. He has plenty of experience in web optimization and often advises people on the best practices about the same in his blog.