Is it still important anchor text?

[Eurasmus.com]

Hi folks,

my question is related to inbound links how important is anchor text? Can you give me one example? Also what about outbound links. Should I add longer anchor text?

Miško Macolić Tomičić

[Linda-Vassily]

Here is a good Moz article on the subject: http://moz.com/learn/seo/anchor-text . It includes examples.

"Key Points:

• If many links point to a page with the right keywords in their anchor text, that page has a very good chance of ranking well. Real examples of this include the search engine result pages for the queries, "click here" and "leave." Many of the Google results for these queries rank solely due to the anchor text of inbound links.
• People have a tendency to link to content using the anchor text of either the domain name or the title of the page. This is an advantage to SEOs who include keywords they want to rank for in these two elements.
• Too many inbound links to a page with the exact same keyword-rich anchor text may cause Google to scrutinize that site’s link profile more closely; using manipulative methods to acquire keyword–rich anchor text is not recommended."

[The emphasis is mine.]

And for outbound links: http://moz.com/learn/seo/external-link

"Optimal Format

Use descriptive keywords in anchor text that reflect the same topic or keywords the target page is trying to target. It's not necessary to use the same keyword text every time—in fact, doing so can trigger spam detectors. Instead, strive for a variety of anchor text that enhances context and usability for your users—and for search engines, as well."

[MattAntonino]

The key point to me in any anchor text discussion is this: Google doesn't want you to control your IBLs. Most sites that link naturally will not use the same anchors over & over.

If your link profile is natural and you don't control a whole lot of it, yes anchor text is very valuable. If you control most of it and you're adding to the same stuff over & over, it's very bad for you and can result in your rankings dropping.

This is the exact reason SEO can be so difficult.  The same link, the same anchor, the same page on the same PR site linked at the same time = everything 100% the same = can still have two very different effects on a business depending on what the existing site, profile and anchors look like. So there's no clear answer to many SEO questions like this. The answer is "it depends."