What does *data* show to be the best way to write hyperlinks in article text?
Here are some possible ways to embed a link in a sentence within an article. (The intended link text is just bolded here, rather than actually linked to something.)
"A good first step is to perform a business impact analysis (BIA)."
"A good first step is to perform a business impact analysis (BIA)."
"A good first step is to perform a business impact analysis (BIA)."
Which of these links is most likely to elicit a user click? I am looking for an answer about clickthrough, based on data.
Before answering - please note. I am not asking about accessibility, nor the SEO implications of anchor text. Don't care what Google thinks (unless they are providing comparative clickthrough data). I am not asking for a well-reasoned argument about how Web readers scan and need context within the link.
There are plenty of opinions about the ideal length, inclusion of nouns or verbs, and so on. I worked in online media for many years and I have an opinion too. But opinions are not interesting here! I want an answer about which version more people would click on, based on A/B testing or other data!
I have scoured the web (which usually means the answer is in some obvious place right under my nose...) and am perpetually surprised at the lack of data in discussions on this topic. Thanks for any relevant, data-based guidance.