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Should Contextual Links Be On Verbs Rather Than Nouns?
By Heather Lloyd-Martin - January 19, 2001 (From the Rank Write Roundtable Newsletter)
~~~Successful Online Writing~~~
From: Kasey Edwards
I read recently that contextual links should be on verbs rather than
nouns. e.g., Search for Australian suppliers. If I want people to
click through to a database of Australian suppliers, which word would
I make a hyperlink? What is your view on this? Is there a
best-practice standard?
Kasey Edwards
Website Content Manager
Email: kasey.edwards@austrade.gov.au
http://www.austrade.gov.au
~~~Heather's Response~~~
Hi, Kasey,
Thanks for your question - it's a good one!
I have to admit, you initially stumped me. I had never heard that
hyperlinks should be on a noun or a verb, so I did a little checking
for you.
I reviewed SearchEngineWatch.com today, and didn't find anything about
the noun vs. verb issue. However, I do have some opinions of my own
about this topic (you probably already figured that, didn't you? ).
In our experience, we've found that making the keyphrase a link to an
inner page is very effective with the search engines. For instance,
if your main keyphrase is "Australian suppliers" you can say something
like, "Search for Australian suppliers now" and link from "Australian
suppliers." From what we understand, search engines like to see
hyperlinked keyphrases because then they "know" the phrase is relevant
and important.
This technique is also great for call-to-action text blurbs where
you're featuring a particular service or product. That is, if your
main keyphrases are "Australian suppliers" and "Australian
businesses," you can create two separate call-to-action blurbs (with
hyperlinked keyphrases) and link to your inner pages.
Now, IF you were writing "straight" marketing copy (like an opt-in
email) and not worrying about the search engines, I would insert the
hyperlink on the call-to-action statement. For instance, "Email us
today" could be transformed into a hyperlink and linked to a contact
form. "Learn more now" can hyperlink to a product page. This way,
people can read the call-to-action blurb and immediately link to what
they want.
Thanks for you question! Keep those online writing questions coming!
Heather
~~~Jill's unsolicited 2 cents~~~
Yup, Heather's right on the money (as usual)! 'Nuff said...
Jill
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