What is Anchor Text? A Complete Guide

Anchor text refers to the visible, clickable text that forms a hyperlink online. When you click on anchor text, it will direct you to another web page or resource. Optimizing your anchor text properly is an important part of any SEO strategy.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about anchor text, including:

What is Anchor Text and Why Does it Matter?

Anchor text is placed within a hyperlink code, like this:

<a href="https://www.example.com">This is anchor text</a>

The visible, clickable “This is anchor text” tells users and search engines about the content they will find when they click the link.

Optimizing your anchor text is important for SEO because:

• It helps search engines understand your internal site structure and content.
• The anchor text in backlinks to your site can help you rank for specific keywords.
• Well-written anchor text improves user experience by clearly conveying what a link contains.

For example, if you are linking to a page about digital marketing, using the anchor text “digital marketing strategies” is more informative than simply saying “click here”.

In short, helpful anchor text plays a role in rankings and also creates a better user experience.

Different Types of Anchor Text

There are several options when selecting anchor text for a link:

• Branded anchor text – Uses your brand name, like “Example Co”.
• URL anchor text – Uses the target URL itself as the link text, like “https://www.example.com”.
• Domain name anchor text – Uses the domain name, like “example.com”.
• Generic anchor text – Neutral terms like “click here” or “read more”.
• Exact match anchor text – Keywords relevant to the target page.
• Partial match anchor text – Keywords plus additional text.
• Image anchor text – Uses image ALT text attribute as anchor text.

Mixing up your anchor text types creates diversity which search engines like Google view as natural.

Anchor Text Best Practices

Follow these anchor text optimization tips:

Choose Relevant Text

Always strive to use relevant, descriptive anchor text that conveys what the link contains.

Avoid ambiguous terms like:

• Click here
• Read more
• Learn more

While occasionally OK, rely more on context-specific anchor text.

Avoid Using Naked Links

A “naked link” simply uses the target URL as the anchor text, like this:

<a href="https://www.example.com">https://www.example.com</a>

When possible, use descriptive text, even if it’s the page title. Naked links are utilized when necessary but aren’t ideal.

Write Short Anchor Text

Keep your anchor text short, ideally below three or four words. Lengthy anchor text is challenging for search engines to accurately interpret.

Good Example

<a href="https://www.example.com">Affordable marketing</a>

Bad Example

<a href="https://www.example.com">We offer affordable small business marketing solutions</a>

The excessive length dilutes the context.

Format Links Differently From Normal Text

To aid site visitors, ensure links visually stand out from regular text. Common tactics include unique colors, underlines, and italicizing.

Avoid Anchor Text Over Optimization

Be careful not to repeatedly use exact match anchor text like “marketing tips” across too many external links. This raises a red flag for search engines and risks penalties.

Here are guidelines to avoid over-optimization:

• Link out to trusted, relevant sites only.
• Use branded, URL, title, or partial match anchor text most times
• Occasionally use exact match terms

The key is creating diversity in your overall anchor text profile.

Optimize Anchor Text for Internal Links

When linking internally between your own site pages, exact match anchor text is fine and encouraged.

For example:

<a href="/services">Denver marketing services</a>

Aim to use keywords where relevant, without worrying about over-optimization.

Pro Tip: Also ensure internal links make sense for site visitors by directing them to useful content.

How to Analyze Your Anchor Text

Use site auditing tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Screaming Frog to generate anchor text reports.

These provide visibility into:

• Frequency of your anchor text use
• Breakdowns of variations
• Any issues to address

Here is an example anchor text report:

Review regularly to ensure you aren’t over or under-optimizing any specific text.

Key Takeaways

• Anchor text plays an important role in SEO by conveying context about linked content.
• Using a healthy mix of branded, URL, title, generic and keyword anchor text is best.
• Keep anchor text short, under 4 words. Also, visually differentiate from normal text.
• Exact match terms are fine for internal links but balance external use.
• Analyze via reports to ensure you maintain anchor text diversity.

Optimizing anchor text takes a balanced approach but pays dividends in higher rankings and improved site navigation.