Search Engine Optimization

Anchor text in links pointing to a page is used by the search engines to determine what the page is about, and determine what keywords the page should rank for on search results. There are however a number of issues that search engineers face with anchor text analysis. Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Ask search gurus, must have all addressed those issues in their own way.

• If a page gets a site wide link, both internal and external, should the weight of all the links be treated as multiple, or should it be reduced? I can vouch that Google already discounts site wide links to a very large extent, even from very authoritative PR7 and up websites. Our competitor has gotten several site wide links (ranging a total of few thousand), for a 3 word phrase. The site wide links come from VERY authoritative, high PR domains, and theoretically PR and power from those links should give enough boost to beat us, yet this does not happen on Google. Bing on the other hand is a lot easier to play.
• What if a website is partnered with another website? How do search engines treat those links? Finding who is partnered is one part of the deal, but once there is enough information to be sure, how are partner links treated? Theoretically partners will help each other will links (those savvy of SEO). Do search engines look for SEO footprints before reducing impact of links from partners?
• If a page has 2 links to a website, with exactly the same anchor text, is that link treated as one, or two links?
• If it appears that a link was added to boost rankings of a page, how is it treated? What are the indicators that search engines use?

Is Google smart as we think it is? It is better to assume so. It makes you cover your butt more, and avoid foolish mistakes.