Posted by randfish

We've recently gotten to do (and see results of) some testing around internal links & anchor text and come to some interesting, if not 100% proven, conculsions. As a disclaimer, SEO testing, whether done in a controlled environment or on live sites, is both challenging to quantify and subject to fair critiques both practically and academically. That said, I feel fairly confident in stating the following findings.

NOTE: These hold true primarily (and in some cases exclusively) for Google. I don't have enough data/experience to say whether the same results would be found at Yahoo! or MSN/Live.

1. Internal Anchor Text Has Very Little Impact on the Homepage
   Although linking to a page like our Web 2.0 Awards with the anchor text "web 2.0," for example, appears to provide a positive nudge, the same does not hold true if I link to the homepage of SEOmoz with the anchor text "SEO." In fact, for those who put a great deal of time into optimizing their links back to their homepage to say "new york apartments" or "antique rifles" rather than "home," I'd test whether modification of the link anchor text has any adverse rankings impact. In my recent experience (on a few different sites), the answer is no.
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2. Excessive Internal Anchor Text Linking / Manipulation Can Trip An Automated Penalty on Google
   I recently had my second run-in with a penalty at Google that appears to punish sites for excessive internal linking with "optimized" (or "keyword stuffed anchor text") links. When the links were removed (in both cases, they were found in the footer of the website sitewide), the rankings were restored immediately following Google's next crawl, indicating a fully automated filter (rather than a manual penalty requiring a re-consideration request).
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3. Beyond a Certain Point, Adding More Internal Links to a Page Does Not Neccessarily Flow More Anchor Text Value
   Adding internal links from many important pages does provide ranking benefit, but it appears not to matter whether those links contain optimized anchor text after the first few (or few dozen depending on site size). Perhaps there's a limit to how much anchor text value can flow from a single site to itself (or to another site, which might explain the diminished value of sitewide links) or maybe Google discounts optimized internal anchor text after a certain point. Whatever the reason, my general suggestion going forward is to link to pages with optimized links to help with link juice flow, but not neccessarily obsess over anchor text (at least, until I see data that says otherwise).
   
   BTW - This doesn't mean I'm abandoning my recommendations for internal linking with good anchor text for either usability, keyword cannibalization or to provide an initial boost. It just means sitewides (or pouring links from 500 pages instead of 50) aren't going to make the "recommended list" of SEO tactics for many future clients.

I'd love to hear your experiences in both testing and live scenarios and any speculation you've got as to why these phenomena appear to hold true. As always, I recommend conducting your own tests and applying what shows the best results for your sites.

BTW - For those interested in SEO experimentation, I've described the process in the past here and here.

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Fair warning: this is an unsubstantiated, nonspecific, and not entirely easy to swallow rumor.  Today isn't April 1st, however, and the rumor seems to have gotten the attention of a leading tech reporter and at least a few stock traders.  So (for the umpteenth time) consider the possibility that Yahoo is on the path to getting acquired.

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Making a purchase online, especially a substantial one, can be a nerve-wracking process for a consumer. The primary problem, aside from price, is trust. Shoppers negotiate their relationship with the vendor in much the same way they negotiate relationships with any stranger: by seeking information.

What an online vendor lacks (and what becomes a disadvantage) is one-on-one interaction with the customer. As such, the customer must put forth additional effort to find out about a product for sale. Making this task easier can make all the difference in closing a sale.

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Yes, you "heard" right! Two FULL days of SEO training from yours truly, coming soon to a city near you -- or not, if you don't live near Las Vegas, Chicago or Washington DC .

This is truly a first. In my 14 years since founding Netconcepts, I have yet to run this long of, and in-depth of, a public SEO workshop. Until now!

Brought to you by the American Marketing Association, as part of their excellent "Training Series".

It will hit Las Vegas February 23rd & 24th, Chicago March 10th & 11th, and Washington DC April 21st & 22nd.

In the two days I intend to cover the following topics in some depth:

• Anatomy of a Search Engine -- Spiders, Indices & Algorithms, Market Share & Trends
• Inside the Head of the Searcher -- Searcher Behavior & Intent
• Hands-on Keyword Research & Keyword Portfolio Management
• SEO Copywriting -- Optimizing Your Content
• HTML Optimization -- Make Your HTML "Sing"
• Search Friendly Site Architecture, Design, Navigation & Internal Hierarchical Linking Structures
• Technical Optimization -- URLs, Redirects, Tracking Parameters, Flash, JavaScript/AJAX and more
• Link Building -- Tools & Tactics for Acquiring Valuable, Relevant Links Sustainably
• Social Media Marketing –- Leveraging Online Communities to Create Links & Buzz
• Paid Search Fundamentals & Achieving Synergies with SEO
• Search Analytics -- Metrics that Drive ROI
• Tools of the Trade -- The Essential Tools & Resources for your SEO & Paid Search Toolkit
• Vertical Search -- Local Search, News Search, Product Search, Image Search, Video Search, Blog Search, Mobile Search
• Worst Practices -- Beyond the “Best Practices” to the Dark Side of “Black Hat” Spam & Other Deadly Mistakes
• Site Clinic & Interactive Site Reviews -- Apply Your Knowledge by Auditing Fellow Attendees' Websites

Want more details or to register? Head over to MarketingPower.com. Or download the PDF brochure.

Multi-channel retailers increased their U.S. paid search spend in Q4 08 by 12 percent compared to Q4 07.

Consumers continued to convert online at a steady rate, although they spent 10 percent less on average per transaction compared with the prior year, according to a report from SearchIgnite.

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With the inauguration of President-Elect Obama just days away, small business owners affected by recession see restoration of the country’s economy as his top priority, but many lack faith in him to improve matters, according to a poll of 50,000 small business clients by email and direct mail marketing company VerticalResponse.

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The folks over Bruce Clay have released two new SEO tools and the best part is that they're free.

The first one is called the Search Engine Optimization/KSP tool. It helps you know how competitive the keyword term or phrase is that you wish to optimize for. Just type in the keywords and the results appear in a chart below. Here's a screenshot of how it works.

The second tool is the SEMToolBar. It's only available for Internet Explorer. Use the search box with the toolbar to conduct a search for the keyword or phrase you're interested in. Once the regular results load, wait a few moments as the toolbar performs its magic. Underneath the results, you'll see a variety of competitive intelligence data including page rank and inbound links.

Related Reading:
CrazyEgg: Free SEM/SEO Analytics Tool Blows My Mind
Google AdWords Launches Search-Based Keyword Tool
TNS Unveils Next Generation of Online Advertising Monitoring Tools
magnify360 Launches New Paid Search Tool: Google Cost Optimizer
AdWords Keyword Tool Now Shows Numerical Data

Last week, Google used its Google Moderator product to call upon users to give them ideas for improving Google Mobile. It allowed people to submit ideas and vote others up or down. This would give Google an idea of the ones that were most in demand.

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Well, that didn't take long.  On August 26th, Mark Zuckerberg made a post on the Facebook Blog noting that his social network had attracted 100 million users.  Now the CEO's back, saying that Facebook has hit the 150 million-user mark.

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Facebook is starting off the new year with a bang. Today, the social network announced that it has reached the 150 million user mark. Members speak in 35 different languages and represent 170 countries and territories.

But how many of those users are active? Facebook says half of them use the social network every day. That's remarkable.

Writing on the Facebook blog, founder Mark Zuckerberg said, "The full potential of the web is to make the world more open, so everyone has a voice and can share what is important to them. With 150 million voices and counting, we can't wait for the rest of 2009, and we look forward to offering even more ways for you to connect with the people who matter most."

This should make Microsoft happy as well. Last year, they struck a deal to become the search engine for Facebook.

Related Reading:
Facebook: Get Educated on the Hottest Social Media Platform
Facebook's New Privacy Problem: Groups Created Under False Pretenses