Definition
Anchor text is the visible, clickable text of a link, which tells readers and search engines what the linked page is about.
Anchor text explained
In a link such as “our guide to commercial roof repairs”, the words people click are the anchor text. Search engines use it as context for the target page, alongside the text around the link.
Anchor text types include:
- Descriptive: words that describe the target page, such as “roof repair costs”.
- Branded: your company name.
- Exact match: the precise keyword a page targets.
- Generic: “click here” or “read more”, which gives little context.
- Naked URL: the web address itself.
For internal links, which you control, descriptive anchors help both users and search engines, and there is no reason to be vague. For backlinks, a natural profile is mostly branded and descriptive. A high share of exact-match keyword anchors from other sites looks engineered, and manipulated anchors are a common feature of link schemes that breach Google's spam policies.
Example
Your blog links to your pricing page with “click here”. Changing the internal anchor text to “compare our plans and pricing” tells readers and search engines exactly what the destination is.
Why it matters
Descriptive anchor text on internal links is a free relevance signal, while unnatural external anchors can be a red flag.
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Related terms
- Internal linkingInternal linking is linking between pages on your own site, which helps visitors navigate and helps search engines find pages and see how they relate.
- BacklinkA backlink is a link from another site to yours; relevant, editorial backlinks tell search engines that others vouch for your content.
- Link equityLink equity is the ranking value that links pass from one page to another, which redirects and internal links can preserve or waste.
- PBN (Private Blog Network)A PBN (private blog network) is a group of websites controlled by one party and used to create links to other sites to manipulate search rankings.