NEWS

Google on Choosing the Best Anchor Text

Published

4 years ago

March 8, 2021

Google’s John Mueller answered a question about the best anchor text to use for internal, inbound and outbound links. His answer covered a wide range of linking scenarios.

What’s the Best Practice for Anchor Text?

Anchor text is the text used in a link. Anchor text can be “click here” and it can be “Acme Personal Injury Lawyer” and it can be “personal injury lawyer San Diego.”

Google’s PageRank algorithm uses anchor text to understand what a page is about. That was the big breakthrough for the founders of Google in 1998. They discovered that search results improved when you used the anchor text (in addition to the text on a web page) to understand what a page is about.

But the algorithm had to be altered in the ensuing years in order to stop publishers from abusing anchor text. That’s why anchor text is to this day so important in the minds of digital marketers.

The question wanted to know specifics about what the best anchor text is to use.

This is the question:

What’s the best practice for anchor text wording on internal links as well as external links?

For example, using the website name, the blog post title, exact match or LSI keywords?”

LSI Keywords is Not a Thing

Any SEO who promotes the idea of LSI keywords is spreading misinformation and are misguided. There is no such thing as LSI Keywords.

John Mueller:

“Um… First of all, we have no concept of LSI keywords. So that’s something you can completely ignore.

I think it’s interesting to look at LSI when you’re thinking about understanding information retrieval as a theoretical or computer science topic.

But as an SEO you probably don’t need to worry about that.”

Best Anchor Text for Internal Links

Any link from a web page to another page on the same site is an internal link. A publisher can link to another article within the same site that contains more details. That’s an example of an internal link.

Internal links can help Google discover more articles within a site and it can give some context to what the content of the page being linked to is about.

Google’s Mueller recommended this for internal link anchor text:

“With regards to internal links you’re giving us a signal of context. So basically you’re saying, in this part of my website you’ll find information about this topic.

And that’s what you would use as the anchor text for those internal links.

So that’s something where on the one hand usually that’s something that you want to kind of give that context to users as well.

The kind of internal links that you would use for users usually match what you would use for SEO as well.

That’s something where luckily there’s a nice overlap there.”

Best Practice for External Link Anchor Text

An anchor text is a link to a page on another website. An example is if a publisher on a recipe site links to a Wikipedia page about a certain ingredient.

Mueller provided an answer about the best anchor text for external links:

“With regards to external links, if you’re linking out to other people’s websites, the same things. Like, supply some context why people should go and click on this link, what kind of extra information it gives.”

Best Anchor Text for Inbound Links

Background to Anchor Text for Inbound Links

There are many conversations and articles online about the best mix of anchor text (anchor text ratio) for inbound links.

Some SEOs believe there is an optimal percentage of inbound links that should be nofollow, use exact match keywords that you want to rank for and a percentage of inbound links that should use the website name (branded links).

These ideas originated from the understanding (in 2005) that Google used statistical analysis to identify unnatural links. SEOs tried to hide their paid links by trying to “look natural” and thus deceive and defeat statistical analysis algorithms.

SEOs tried to identify “natural” linking patterns by analyzing the anchor text of millions of sites links and even to this day there are still some misguided souls who do this and recommend anchor text percentages of brand name and keyword anchor text.

Those SEO studies, by the way, are gravely in error. They always have been. They presume that the anchor texts discovered are used by Google for ranking purposes (which is not the case). That’s the flaw in those studies.

Anchor Text for Natural Links Are Generally Out of Your Control

The question of what’s the best mix of anchor text for inbound links is invalid because it inherently presumes that the beneficiary of the link exercises control over the anchor text.

That’s not the case for natural links. The hallmark of a natural link is that it is spontaneously given by an author as a citation, without consultation from the site being linked to.

Understandably, Google’s Mueller kind of balked at the question.

“With regards to links to your website from other people’s websites, usually that’s something you wouldn’t have control over anyway.

So I’d be kind of cautious about like what you need to have there.”

Does Web Page Provide Context to Internal Links?

A follow up question was asked about internal links and whether Google uses the entire web page to provide context to a link on that page that is linking to another page withing the same website.

A problem with using an entire page is that a web page is often about several subtopics. A link from a paragraph about a subtopic will have more context from the words immediately around the link than it would from the overall topic of a web page.

For example if you have a page about how to cook Chinese stir fried rice, you might have a section about rice (use day old rice), instructions for velvetting chicken meat, how to optionally make the dish pop by making it with chicken cooked in char siu style, plus directions for making the stir fried rice sauce that consists of two different kinds of soy sauce.

Each of those sections are distinct subtopics. From the day old rice section I might link to a page about how to cook rice, from the char siu section I might link to a page about how to make char siu marinade.

Neither of those topics is about Chinese fried rice so it does not make sense to use the overall context of the entire web page to give meaning to a page about Chinese fried rice to how to make char siu marinade.

Mueller’s answer reflected that consideration.

Google’s John Mueller answered:

“A little bit. But not so much in that random words on a page will impact how linked pages are handled.

We take that into account with regards to understanding the context of the pages that you have there. Usually the anchor text is the most important part there.”

Anchor Text Best Practice

The key to the best anchor text to use is Mueller’s statement that when it comes to choosing anchor text, there’s overlap between what’s good for Google and what’s good for users.

Creating anchor text that tells a user what to expect when they click a link to an internal or external page is the best approach. Anything else is probably overthinking it.

Citation

Watch John Mueller discuss how anchor texts from about the 33 minute mark in the video.

Best Practices for Internal Link Anchor Text 33:04

Searchenginejournal.com

NEWS

OpenAI Introduces Fine-Tuning for GPT-4 and Enabling Customized AI Models

Published

2 months ago

August 21, 2024

Max

OpenAI Introduces Fine-Tuning for GPT-4 and Enabling Customized AI Models

OpenAI has today announced the release of fine-tuning capabilities for its flagship GPT-4 large language model, marking a significant milestone in the AI landscape. This new functionality empowers developers to create tailored versions of GPT-4 to suit specialized use cases, enhancing the model’s utility across various industries.

Fine-tuning has long been a desired feature for developers who require more control over AI behavior, and with this update, OpenAI delivers on that demand. The ability to fine-tune GPT-4 allows businesses and developers to refine the model’s responses to better align with specific requirements, whether for customer service, content generation, technical support, or other unique applications.

Why Fine-Tuning Matters

GPT-4 is a very flexible model that can handle many different tasks. However, some businesses and developers need more specialized AI that matches their specific language, style, and needs. Fine-tuning helps with this by letting them adjust GPT-4 using custom data. For example, companies can train a fine-tuned model to keep a consistent brand tone or focus on industry-specific language.

Fine-tuning also offers improvements in areas like response accuracy and context comprehension. For use cases where nuanced understanding or specialized knowledge is crucial, this can be a game-changer. Models can be taught to better grasp intricate details, improving their effectiveness in sectors such as legal analysis, medical advice, or technical writing.

Key Features of GPT-4 Fine-Tuning

The fine-tuning process leverages OpenAI’s established tools, but now it is optimized for GPT-4’s advanced architecture. Notable features include:

Enhanced Customization: Developers can precisely influence the model’s behavior and knowledge base.
Consistency in Output: Fine-tuned models can be made to maintain consistent formatting, tone, or responses, essential for professional applications.
Higher Efficiency: Compared to training models from scratch, fine-tuning GPT-4 allows organizations to deploy sophisticated AI with reduced time and computational cost.

Additionally, OpenAI has emphasized ease of use with this feature. The fine-tuning workflow is designed to be accessible even to teams with limited AI experience, reducing barriers to customization. For more advanced users, OpenAI provides granular control options to achieve highly specialized outputs.

Implications for the Future

The launch of fine-tuning capabilities for GPT-4 signals a broader shift toward more user-centric AI development. As businesses increasingly adopt AI, the demand for models that can cater to specific business needs, without compromising on performance, will continue to grow. OpenAI’s move positions GPT-4 as a flexible and adaptable tool that can be refined to deliver optimal value in any given scenario.

By offering fine-tuning, OpenAI not only enhances GPT-4’s appeal but also reinforces the model’s role as a leading AI solution across diverse sectors. From startups seeking to automate niche tasks to large enterprises looking to scale intelligent systems, GPT-4’s fine-tuning capability provides a powerful resource for driving innovation.

OpenAI announced that fine-tuning GPT-4o will cost $25 for every million tokens used during training. After the model is set up, it will cost $3.75 per million input tokens and $15 per million output tokens. To help developers get started, OpenAI is offering 1 million free training tokens per day for GPT-4o and 2 million free tokens per day for GPT-4o mini until September 23. This makes it easier for developers to try out the fine-tuning service.

As AI continues to evolve, OpenAI’s focus on customization and adaptability with GPT-4 represents a critical step in making advanced AI accessible, scalable, and more aligned with real-world applications. This new capability is expected to accelerate the adoption of AI across industries, creating a new wave of AI-driven solutions tailored to specific challenges and opportunities.

GOOGLE

This Week in Search News: Simple and Easy-to-Read Update

Published

3 months ago

June 30, 2024

Entireweb News Bot

This Week in Search News: Simple and Easy-to-Read Update

Here’s what happened in the world of Google and search engines this week:

1. Google’s June 2024 Spam Update

Google finished rolling out its June 2024 spam update over a period of seven days. This update aims to reduce spammy content in search results.

2. Changes to Google Search Interface

Google has removed the continuous scroll feature for search results. Instead, it’s back to the old system of pages.

3. New Features and Tests

Link Cards: Google is testing link cards at the top of AI-generated overviews.
Health Overviews: There are more AI-generated health overviews showing up in search results.
Local Panels: Google is testing AI overviews in local information panels.

4. Search Rankings and Quality

Improving Rankings: Google said it can improve its search ranking system but will only do so on a large scale.
Measuring Quality: Google’s Elizabeth Tucker shared how they measure search quality.

5. Advice for Content Creators

Brand Names in Reviews: Google advises not to avoid mentioning brand names in review content.
Fixing 404 Pages: Google explained when it’s important to fix 404 error pages.

6. New Search Features in Google Chrome

Google Chrome for mobile devices has added several new search features to enhance user experience.

7. New Tests and Features in Google Search

Credit Card Widget: Google is testing a new widget for credit card information in search results.
Sliding Search Results: When making a new search query, the results might slide to the right.

8. Bing’s New Feature

Bing is now using AI to write “People Also Ask” questions in search results.

9. Local Search Ranking Factors

Menu items and popular times might be factors that influence local search rankings on Google.

10. Google Ads Updates

Query Matching and Brand Controls: Google Ads updated its query matching and brand controls, and advertisers are happy with these changes.
Lead Credits: Google will automate lead credits for Local Service Ads. Google says this is a good change, but some advertisers are worried.
tROAS Insights Box: Google Ads is testing a new insights box for tROAS (Target Return on Ad Spend) in Performance Max and Standard Shopping campaigns.
WordPress Tag Code: There is a new conversion code for Google Ads on WordPress sites.

These updates highlight how Google and other search engines are continuously evolving to improve user experience and provide better advertising tools.

FACEBOOK

Facebook Faces Yet Another Outage: Platform Encounters Technical Issues Again

Published

7 months ago

March 20, 2024

Max

Uppdated: It seems that today’s issues with Facebook haven’t affected as many users as the last time. A smaller group of people appears to be impacted this time around, which is a relief compared to the larger incident before. Nevertheless, it’s still frustrating for those affected, and hopefully, the issues will be resolved soon by the Facebook team.

Facebook had another problem today (March 20, 2024). According to Downdetector, a website that shows when other websites are not working, many people had trouble using Facebook.

This isn’t the first time Facebook has had issues. Just a little while ago, there was another problem that stopped people from using the site. Today, when people tried to use Facebook, it didn’t work like it should. People couldn’t see their friends’ posts, and sometimes the website wouldn’t even load.

Downdetector, which watches out for problems on websites, showed that lots of people were having trouble with Facebook. People from all over the world said they couldn’t use the site, and they were not happy about it.

When websites like Facebook have problems, it affects a lot of people. It’s not just about not being able to see posts or chat with friends. It can also impact businesses that use Facebook to reach customers.

Since Facebook owns Messenger and Instagram, the problems with Facebook also meant that people had trouble using these apps. It made the situation even more frustrating for many users, who rely on these apps to stay connected with others.

During this recent problem, one thing is obvious: the internet is always changing, and even big websites like Facebook can have problems. While people wait for Facebook to fix the issue, it shows us how easily things online can go wrong. It’s a good reminder that we should have backup plans for staying connected online, just in case something like this happens again.