Glossary · SEO & AI searchTOFU
Anchor text
The short answer
Anchor text is the visible, clickable text of a hyperlink. Search engines use it as a clue to what the linked page is about. A link reading "Meta Ads agency" tells more than one reading "click here".
Types of anchor text
- Descriptive — "technical SEO audit"
- Branded — "Performance Marketing Guru"
- Exact match — the precise target keyword
- Partial match — a variation containing the keyword
- Generic — "read more", "this page"
- Naked URL — the address itself
Best practice
- Use descriptive anchors for internal links
- Keep external anchor profiles natural and varied
- Avoid unnatural concentrations of exact-match anchors from other sites
- Make anchors meaningful out of context for accessibility
In practice
On this site, glossary terms are linked automatically the first time they appear in body copy, with the term itself as the anchor — descriptive, consistent and useful to readers. For links from other websites, you control far less; aim for a natural mix of branded, descriptive and URL anchors rather than engineering exact-match phrases.
Good and poor anchor text examples
| Poor | Better |
|---|---|
| Click here | Meta Ads management for D2C brands |
| Read more | How to calculate break-even ROAS |
| This page | Our pricing guide for performance marketing |
See internal linking.
Anchor text in practice
A link reading "performance marketing services" tells search engines and readers what the linked page is about better than "click here". Internal links with descriptive anchors help search engines understand site structure.
Anchor text best practices
- Use descriptive, natural phrases
- Vary anchors naturally
- Avoid over-optimised, repetitive exact-match anchors in backlinks
Common anchor-text mistakes
- "Click here" links everywhere
- Repeating the same exact-match anchor across many backlinks
- Misleading anchors that don't match the destination
Frequently asked questions
Can anchor text hurt SEO?
Manipulative patterns — large numbers of exact-match anchors from low-quality sites — can.
Should internal links use exact-match anchors?
Descriptive, natural anchors work well internally; you control them, so keep them accurate.
Should every link use keywords?
No. Use natural, descriptive anchors. Variety looks natural and reads better.
Does image alt text act as anchor text?
For linked images, the alt text serves a similar role, so make it descriptive.
Does anchor text affect rankings?
It helps search engines understand linked pages; manipulative anchor patterns can be treated as spam.
What is good internal anchor text?
Short, descriptive text that matches the linked page's topic.
Should internal links use exact keywords?
Descriptive anchors are good; vary them naturally.
Do image links have anchor text?
The image's alt text serves a similar role.
Related terms
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