Google is now changing how it views optimised anchor text and linking back to websites via news pieces. This will have a big effect on article submissions, social media and news pieces, which are fast becoming a critical factor in a websites performance. These new guidelines will probably be trafficked to a similar level as keyword stuffing in which if you over optimise a page with certain words that may not be of relevance, google frowns on this and actually down grades the page. Likewise with these new guidelines it will prevent people linking unrelated pieces and also prevent people from trying to “over anchor” a particular piece. These practices are something in which we abide by at The Studio 4 anyway (ensuring we only link relevant content!) . How strict these guidelines will be only time will tell. I would expect that the main reason for the shift is to stop spammers, and those that practice relevant SEO and link building will not be effected.
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If you are considering an SEO campaign to boost your website performance in more ways than one, contact matt@thestudio4.co.uk