Summary: Having some image links to your site is part and parcel of a diverse link profile, but image links (with alt text) are less valuable than regular links (with anchor text).
When we’re talking about image links and text links, we mean the difference between a regular link:
<a href="http://www.angelseo.co.uk">Search engine optimisation</a>
and an image link:
<a href="http://www.angelseo.co.uk"><img src="../images/image.jpg" alt="Search engine optimisation"></a>
The first example, the regular link, is better for SEO. This is because you need the anchor text ‘Search Engine Optimisation’ – this is more valuable for your site. The second example, the image link, has the alt text on the image, but this isn’t as valuable as the anchor text. Even if you give the link around the image attributes, it won’t be as valuable as the anchor text in the first example.
Having said that, image links aren’t to be avoided altogether. Your link profile should be diverse for maximum effect – there’s evidence that a diverse link profile is preferred by the search engines, even over a narrow profile that contains links from really good sites. As part of a diverse link profile, it would be natural to attain some image links as well as text links. Image links often result from photos, logos, banners and so on. I say ‘natural’ in the sense that your profile having a few image links is a feature of natural link building, established through people linking to you because they like your content rather than paid links or link exchanges. It’s common sense (as well as an opinion held by plenty of SEO experts) that Google can tell a natural link building campaign from an unnatural one. Google themselves advise against buying links and warn us of the penalties if we resort to those topics.
Enjoyed this article?
Subscribe to our RSS feed, follow us on Twitter or just simply recommend it.
Related Articles
Further Discussion
2 Responses to “Are image links or text links better for SEO?”
Leave a Response
Make sure you enter the * required information where indicated. Responses are moderated so please no link dropping, no keywords or domains as names; do not spam, and do not advertise!
said at 8:44 am on September 29th, 2010
Nice post… Regular links are always better than image links but it only provides us an extra link to be counted though lo in value. There is no harm in this.
said at 9:15 am on September 29th, 2010
@Copywriter – Thanks for the comment, there is no harm in getting image links but text links are far better for SEO purposes.