"A descriptive link phrase is essential to obtain search engine results that will provide a high level of truly interested individuals who may have an interest in your product or service."

People search by using descriptions of items and services they desire. They may use a single word or phrase, but the search itself is almost always descriptive of an item a web site might provide, but the search they initiate will almost never include the name or URL of the website.

For example, when looking for a pair of sandals, would an individual more likely use the search terms "brown floppy sandals" or the specific name of a website such as "MartinsStore.com"? The answer is obvious.

When you place a link on any website, including your own, search engines place a lot of weight or importance on the part of your link that is clickable. The clickable part of your link is what the search engines primarily use when providing answers to an individuals search request. The non-clickable items within the description are also viewed, but their importance is significantly reduced as compared to the hot-linked title used.

With the information above in mind, let's take a look at two link samples and see if you can determine the advantage one link has over the other. The first link is the actual link we provided many years ago, before we grew to understand how linking really works. The second link is the actual link we use today. These links are not clickable, but the blue text signifies what would be a clickable item.

As you can see, there is a primary difference in what words are used within the title of the link. As much as it originally seemed obvious to place our site name as the title of the link, the reality is that practically NOBODY was going to perform a search for "Designing Online" when looking for home and garden related products, services and resources. Our new title makes use of our primary keywords and uses them as a phase and not just as a rambling of keywords.

You will also notice that the description includes sentences that make practical use of the words within the title, as well as other keywords we prefer. Notice also that our second link does not include anything that is not important. There is no, "We're the best", "Try us first" or ...just a few clicks away"...because these words are not keywords and only serve to take away the weight from what is important.

To apply what you have learned:

• Always use descriptive text as part of your link title, but not just a rambling of keywords....use a phrase.
• Make use of those same keywords and more, within the link description

We highly recommend that you make use of this same practice when placing links anywhere within your website. For example, instead of saying:

Click Here for great prices on women's shoes.

Replace that link with:

See more about our great prices on women's shoes.

Why?...because the first link places emphasis on "Click Here", which, according to a recent Google search, places you in competition with 952,000,000 other occurances of that search term. The second link places emphasis on "great prices on women's shoes", which, according to a recent Google search, places you in competition with only 56 other occurances of that search term.

A descriptive link phrase is essential to obtain search engine results that will provide a high level of truly interested individuals who may have an interest in your product or service. In this example, by replacing the anchor text of "Click Here" with valid keywords, your chances of being found on the internet increased 17 Million times. Not all results will be as substantial, but ALMOST ANYTHING ELSE will produce better results than "Click Here".

Another great linking tip, when placing links on your own pages or when providing linking code for reciprocal links, is to always use the title attribute within your anchor tag...such as:

<a href="http://www.designingonline.com" target="_blank" title="Designing Online provides Home and Garden Decorating and Interior Design Resources">Home and Garden Decorating and Interior Design Resources</a>

See the live sample link below. You will see the title repeated when placing your mouse over the anchor text. Not only does this improve search engine indexing, but it is used to help the handicapped navigate better within your website.

Home and Garden Decorating and Interior Design Resources - Find your interior design and decorating answers in our home and garden resource directory and home and garden forum. You can design online! Many home decor, home improvement and gardening articles.

Remember this... All Links Are Keywords as far as the search engines are concerned, so scour your site and replace every indirect use of links with keywords that fit better. Then visit our companion site, The Website Traffic Generator and follow many of the Search Engine Optimization tips and guidelelines provided. When completed, resubmit your web site to the search engines. You will see dramatic sales and traffic results within 90 days and then for many years to come.

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Designing Online is the primary source for Home Decor, Interior Design and Decorating Resources. Find answers to your interior design and decorating needs in our home and garden resource directory. You can design online! See our home decor, home improvement and gardening products and articles.

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