Google clamps down on press release anchor text

That is, until now.

Last week, Search Engine Land reported that Google had begun cracking down on guest posts, advertorials, and press releases. That the search giant has bucketed these three items together is not accidental.

“This is one of the big changes that may have not been so clear for many webmasters. Google said, “links with optimized anchor text in articles or press releases distributed on other sites,” is an example of an unnatural link that violate their guidelines. The key are the examples given and the phrase “distributed on other sites.” If you are publishing a press release or an article on your site and distribute it through a wire or through an article site, you must make sure to nofollow the links if those links are “optimized anchor text.”

Here’s how you create a nofollow link.

Google’s Link Schemes page, which Search Engine Land also cites in its article, provides this example and illustration: