We just can't figure out the right anchor text to use

[pallasart]

We have been trying everything we can with anchor text. We have read here that we should try naturalistic language.  Our competitors who are above us in Google search results don't do any of this.  They only use their names or a single term like "austin web design".  Is what we are doing hurting our listings?  We don't have any black hat links.  Here's what we are doing now.  We are going crazy trying to figure this out. We are afraid to do anything in fear it will damage our position.

Bob

| pallasart web design | 31 | 1,730 |
| website by pallasart a texas web design company in austin | 15 | 1,526 |
| website by the austin design company pallasart | 14 | 1,525 |
| created by pallasart a web design company in austin texas | 13 | 1,528 |
| created by an austin web design company pallasart | 12 | 1,499 |
| website by pallasart web design an austin web design company | 12 | 1,389 |
| website by pallasart an austin web design company | 11 | 1,463 |
| pallasart austin web design | 9 | 2,717 |
| website created by pallasart a web design company in austin texas | 9 | 1,369 |
| website by pallasart | 8 | 910 |
| austin web design | 5 | 63 |
| pallasart website design austin |

[EGOL]

website by pallasart a texas web design company in austin

I would keep it really really short.  Get the name of your company in there and leave it at that.  Why?

Pallasart Web Design is easy to read.

Pallasart Web Design is more memorable.

Pallasart Web Design, used on all of your designs, is a consistent branding message (I hope that is your domain name)

Pallasart Web Design is your brand name and Google doesn't like keyword-rich anchor text in my opinion.

People are going to click through based upon the quality of your work rather than where you are located (in ten years running many sites all of the people I have hired are very far from me because I hire based upon who does work that I respect).

People who click through this type of link are going to do so based upon how much they think you know about Google and I personally think that Google frowns on long keyword-rich anchors for an attribution link.

People are going to click through based upon how good you are at creating links that elicit clicks and I think that short, rather than keyword-rich is more effective at eliciting clicks.

A lot of people really dislike these types of links (search here for heated discussions about them) and they would allow Pallasart Web Design long before they would allow the long messages you provided as samples.  Some will not want any attribution links.

Some people are going to check your code and see if you have nofollow on the link and will be more likely to allow the link if it is nofollowed.

[Andy.Drinkwater]

What more can be said - nailed by EGOL

-Andy

[pallasart]

Thank you both for helping us.  We talked about what you wrote this morning and are making changes based on this advice.