Image rather than Text?

[iKwak]

Could I use an image with a link for seo or do I must use text links?


If linking images (small banners) is okay for seo, is it equal as in PR compared to text links?

[chrispian]

Text is better. But if you need to use an image use alt tags. Make the alt tags the same as you would have for the text link.

[r2d2]

You cant link with an image for SEO - SEO means Search Engine Optimization, and linking with images, just isnt optimal.

PR will be the same though, image or text. With an image though you dont get the link text benefit... Eg search Google for "miserable failure"... That page is at the top from link text only....

[incka]

What about "unelectable"?

[rocky1]

Have to go with chrispian on this one, images will work fine as long as you use <alt> text. However... you don't want to throw just any statement in the alt text, you need to load that with keywords and more specifically your primary keywords, leading the phrase, so that it is properly anchored for the engines. The search engines place more importance on the text at the front of the sentence than they do on text at the end of the sentence.

For instance given the Norwalk site you have listed, it shows the following keywords ~

norwalk,california,city,community,portal,business, directory,ca,real estate,jobs,employment,cerritos college,local, news

Therefore try an <alt> text statement behind the image to the effect of ~

"Norwalk, California see our community business directory, real estate and employment listings, and local news."


Speaking from experience, I guarantee it to score heavily on the Engines iKwak! That statement utilizes 11 of 15 keywords, almost 75% of the keywords on that site are covered in one simple phrase.

[Chris]

alt text is never going to be weighted as highly as anchor text, some engines even ignore it.

If you want a graphical look to your menu see this article: http://www.websitepublisher.net/article/faking_graphical_link/

[rocky1]

I agree fully with your article Chris, you are going to find better results on a menu in that manner, simply because it allows the most unencumbered access to all pages for the bots to crawl the site. Furthermore you aren't going to load a menu with <alt> text as I suggested above.

The question posed however, is in relation to using a small banner versus a text link, thus raising certain suspicions that he's looking at utilizing this link on someone else's site. Wherein a simple text hyperlink versus a graphic hyperlink with well versed <alt> text becomes a pretty iffy situation to call one way or the other.

Given the site above referenced it's a pretty good bet you wouldn't list the entire sentence I offered in example in a text type link, you'd be more likely to utilize the site's URL, or a link consisting of maybe 3 - 4 keywords, wherein the <alt> text, as I pointed out above allows utilization of 75% of the Keywords found on the site. In that respect the graphic link, as opposed to the simple text link carries more weight, by simple virtue of inclusion of three to four times as many keywords. And, yes I am aware that some engines ignore them, but most don't, including Google.

Likewise if he's looking at using this link on another web site, the Graphic link, if of any degree of quality, is certainly going to command more viewer attention than a text link, wherein the immediate benefit is again subject to outweigh any minor benefit seen in Text type link.

[Chris]

Don't be so sure that a graphical link gets more attention than a text link. I get a higher CTR with Google Adsense than with banners.

[rocky1]

There are admittedly, lots of variables in that respect Chris. I'm not saying it's a 100% given call on graphics demanding more attention, but as a rule if thrown in the middle of a page of text, an attractive graphic will command more attention. It's a basic standard of advertising. If you put these two links in a page full of text, the graphics are going to outweigh the text link.


www.rtfi.us


http://www.rtfi.us/albumlake/b1-3_small.jpg

( OK! That's cheatin', image insertion isn't working on the board Chris! ~~LOL~~)

Anyhow... if you place these same two links in a page full of graphics, banner ads, photo album, or graphic in the background... your text is going to outweigh the graphics as a rule, because people are tuning the graphic out, either not finding it at all in the mass of graphics, finding it information overload with all the other graphics, or finding it a distraction.

As far as google ad-sense having a better turn over than banners, the Google ad is semi-graphic in nature; set in a different colored cell or table to attract attention, but not overstated or pretentious so as to turn you off. Banners on the other hand are way over-used in design and advertising, and most people simply tune them out. The little mini-banner above would likely get more attention than it's full blown counter part, on a page, because people are accustomed to tuning out anything that pops up in a normal banner size, whereas they might want to stop and look to and see what this one is about. Likewise, information overload on a banner, can turn them off as well. Stating too much and cluttering the banner, rather simply intriguing them and making them wonder what's behind the banner link.

Again, both do have their place in design, I'm not going to argue that.