Anchor text

What is anchor text?

Anchor text is the visible, clickable text of a hyperlink. In `<a href="/rank-tracking">rank tracking guide</a>`, the anchor text is “rank tracking guide”. Search engines use anchor text, along with the words around the link, to understand what the target page is about.

Anchors are usually grouped into a few types. Branded anchors use a company or site name (“OpenSEO”). Exact-match anchors repeat the target keyword word for word (“keyword research tool”). Partial-match anchors include the keyword with other words (“this free keyword research guide”). Naked URLs use the address itself (“openseo.gg”). Generic anchors say nothing about the target (“click here”, “this article”). Image links have no text, so Google uses the image’s alt text instead.

Anchor text matters for both internal links between your own pages and backlinks from other sites, but the rules differ. On your own site you control every anchor, and descriptive anchors help both users and search engines. On other sites you mostly do not control the anchor, and that is exactly why a natural mix matters.

A natural backlink profile is mostly branded, URL and generic anchors, because that is how people link when nobody tells them what to write. When a large share of a site’s backlinks use the same commercial keyword, it suggests the links were placed rather than earned.

Search engines also look beyond the anchor itself. The sentence around a link, the heading it sits under and the topic of the linking page all add context. A generic “here” inside a sentence about canonical tags still tells Google something; a keyword anchor in an unrelated footer tells it very little.

Why anchor text matters for SEO

Anchor text was one of the earliest signals Google used, from its original research paper onwards. It helps Google match a page to queries, sometimes even for words that do not appear on the page itself.

Because it worked so well, it was heavily abused. Google’s Penguin update in 2012 targeted sites with unnatural, keyword-stuffed anchor profiles, and Google’s spam policies still name links with optimised anchor text in articles, guest posts and press releases as an example of link spam. Over-optimised anchors are one of the clearest footprints of a link scheme.

For internal links, good anchors are a quick, safe win. Linking “see our rank tracking guide” instead of “click here” tells search engines and screen-reader users exactly where the link goes.

How to choose anchor text

1. Describe the target page in a few natural words. A reader should know what they will get before they click.
2. For internal links, use descriptive anchors that include the topic of the target page. Vary the wording rather than using one exact phrase on every page.
3. Avoid generic anchors like “click here” or “read more” on their own. They give no context to users or search engines.
4. Do not ask other sites for exact-match keyword anchors. If someone asks what to link, suggest your brand name or the page title.
5. Audit your backlink anchors from time to time. If a commercial keyword makes up a large share, find out where those links came from.
6. Keep anchors short. A full sentence as a link is hard to read and dilutes the signal.

Anchor text example

<!-- Descriptive (good) -->
<a href="/glossary/canonical-tag">how canonical tags work</a>

<!-- Generic (weak) -->
<a href="/glossary/canonical-tag">click here</a>

<!-- Exact-match, repeated across many sites (a link scheme footprint) -->
<a href="https://example.com/">best cheap car insurance</a>