Can You Combine Anchor Text And A Call To Action?

Writing by Nick Stamoulis Tweet

Not only can you, but you should. The best kind of link you can have on your website is one that actually gets clicked through. Anchor text is nice and yes it has it’s benefits, but your links aren’t getting clicked then they are just there to look pretty. Pretty doesn’t make money.

Ideally, you want your links to pass anchor text juice, but you also want them to entice people to click on them. To get that click, though, you have to have a strong call to action. It’s hard to create a link that both uses good anchor text and serves as a strong call to action. But it can be done. Here are some things to think about when deciding how to create a link:

• Positioning on the page – Your link’s placement is very important. Eye tracking studies show that web readers’ eyes naturally migrate to certain parts of a web page. The reading path follows a Z pattern starting in the upper left corner and working down toward the right corner. People scan, then read. Put your links where people are most likely to click them, usually at the end of paragraphs, centered on the page at the end of a pitch, in titles or subheads, or in the middle of text using strong anchor text.
• In-text or banner? - Studies show that contextual links get more clicks than banner links. When possible, use text links.
• Formatting – Can people tell your links are links? If not then maybe you need to reformat your CSS so that links stand out more.
• Anchor text – Use the proper anchor text for the page that you are optimizing, but not at the expense of your call to action.
• Promise a benefit – A good call to action promises a benefit. Do your links promise a benefit at the other end?

A good link with anchor text and a call to action does not have to be limited only to the keyword phrase you are optimizing for. Sometimes, a call to action can be a question or a long phrase that gets people to click the link. Such as:

• Click here for more information about _________________
• Does your ____________________ need some attention?
• I’ll bet your ________________ doesn’t look like this

Fill in the blanks with your keyword. Each of these phrases is designed to get the reader to click the link. Make the entire phrase your link and you’ll get anchor text benefit and a strong call to action. What strong call to action phrases do you use for links?