Anchor inbound links how important?

Much I guess. Pick one of this ways please: . . .

[silverbytes]

Would you mind to explain briefly the importance of anchor inbound links in current era?

I've heard putting keywords in your incoming links is good. I've heard quiting keywords in your incoming links and doing text in your links more natural is what works for google now.

So assuming your site is pointing to get a #1 position in the keyword "iron widgets"

What would be a good linking strategy?
Putting that keyword pair over there, avoid it, mixing the keywords...

a) Iron widgets
b) Mysite where Iron widgets live
c) Iron widgets something
d) Mysite
e) Other (explain)

Finally: What about repetitive use of keyords...?
And what about links in links pages in english but what happens if your keys are relevant in another language? (Should you use anchor text in languaje you expect users to type keywords in the search engine?)

[treeline]

I'd go for a) Iron widgets and c) Iron widgets something. The right incoming anchor text is a big boost up the SERPs.

If you want other languages to do well on search, incoming anchor text in those languages is also a good idea. Go for it.

[trillianjedi]

It's always been important.

Putting that keyword pair over there, avoid it, mixing the keywords...

Combination of all of the above. As natural looking as possible.

TJ

[silverbytes]

Sound good but too many words doesn't affect the % of ocurrences of the keyword pair?

I mean: a)if you have 4 words in title and 2 words are your keywords.

b) And you have 8 words and 2 words are your keywords

Isn't a) option better to SE eyes?
to google?

[Herenvardo]

As natural looking as possible.

Completely agree (see below)

a)if you have 4 words in title and 2 words are your keywords.
b) And you have 8 words and 2 words are your keywords
Isn't a) option better to SE eyes?

Yes only for some obsolete engines, or some time ago.

to google?

NO. Google is in constant war against over-SEO, and tries to eradicate it. If Google detects that many of your links have the same anchor text, none of these links' anchor will be taken in account: G will simply dischard these links for being completely artificial. If you have 2 keywords in a 4 words frase, then G can easily detect overSEO. If you use long, descriptive anchor text, and it differs from one site to another, your links will seem natural and will be well valued.

Herenvardö

[trillianjedi]

but too many words doesn't affect the % of ocurrences of the keyword pair?

Yes of course it does.

But in the real world, no-one goes around linking to other sites using their perfect "to die for" anchor text.

Google know that.

You have to get your percentages of your perfect two word phrase up by increasing the amount of overall links, and those overall links *must* vary in order to look natural.

TJ

[stevenb 1959]

In my opinon and analysis Google prefers single word anchor text to determine the authorrity of a site. Example of anchor text: "Chocolate chip" "chocolate cookie" and "cookie chip" determines the site as an authority for"chocolate chip cookie" where as all the other search engines give authority almost solely on exact tem "chocolate chip cookie" as anchor text to be authority for that exact phrase, to me that is the difference in the search engines, plus a few other algo parameters. My analysis has seen this first hand.
Thus this google version of what I described is what people call over optimization.( have you heard this phrase before, "number 1 in other search engines and no where to be found in google")
There is lots of other parameters to consider and I amnot a great typer.