Anchor text explained: types, examples and good practice

The short answer

Anchor text is the visible, clickable text of a link. It tells readers and search engines what to expect on the other side. Good anchor text is descriptive, reasonably short and relevant to both the page it sits on and the page it points to. It becomes a problem when it is forced, repeated or stuffed with keywords.

What anchor text is

Anchor text is the set of clickable words in a link. In HTML, a link is an anchor element with an href attribute that names the destination, and the words between its opening and closing tags are the anchor text. Readers usually see them underlined or in a different colour.

Take the sentence “Read the guide to choosing a CMS before you shop for a developer.” The anchor text is “guide to choosing a CMS”, and the rest is ordinary text around it. Search engines read the anchor text as a short description of the page the link leads to. Google's link guidance says better anchor text makes it easier for people to move around a site and for Google to understand what the linked page is about.

Types of anchor text

People who work in SEO sort anchors into a few types. The labels are shorthand from the trade, not an official Google list.

Google's link guidance describes the qualities of good anchor text. It does not set a target mix of these types, so treat any ideal percentage you are offered as someone's opinion.

What makes good anchor text

Good anchor text makes sense when you read it alone, describes the destination and fits the sentence. Google asks for text that is descriptive, reasonably concise and relevant to the page it sits on and the page it links to. Here are three rewrites that show the difference.

• Link the words that name the destination, not a whole sentence.
• Keep the text short, but long enough to be specific.
• Do not put links directly next to each other with no words between them.
• Use wording that you would use anyway. Do not squeeze a keyword in.
• Check the words before and after the link too, because they give context.

Internal links and external links compared

Internal anchors are the ones you fully control, so audit them first. When the same page can be reached at two addresses, link to the one you treat as the main version. The guide to duplicate content and canonical tags explains how to decide which one that is.

Anchors on other people's links to you are mostly out of your hands. Do not ask editors or partners to use a particular phrase. A brand name or the page title is what people write when nobody asked.

Can anchor text be over-optimised?

Yes. Google's spam policies list links with optimised anchor text in articles, guest posts or press releases distributed on other sites as link spam, unless the links are qualified with a nofollow or sponsored value. Its link guidance also warns against cramming related keywords into anchors, because keyword stuffing breaks its spam policies.

Warning signs on your own site:

• Every link to a page uses the same exact commercial phrase.
• The phrase does not fit the sentence it sits in.
• The link text describes something the destination page does not cover.
• Links are hidden, or placed where no reader would look.

The fix is to write the sentence for a reader first, then link the words that name the destination. If you arranged links on other sites with fixed phrases, ask for them to be changed or tagged, and stop arranging them.

Anchor text in images, buttons, menus and headings

Image links use the image's alt text as their anchor, according to Google's link guidance. Describe the destination in the alt text, as the image SEO guide explains for writing alt text well.

A button counts as a link for crawlers only when it is built as an anchor element with an href. Google can generally crawl links of that form. A button that runs a script on click may never be followed.

Menu labels can be short, but sub-menu items should still name their pages. A heading can contain a link, but the heading should describe its section, which the heading tags guide covers in more detail.

Google uses the mobile version of a page for indexing. A link that exists only in the desktop layout may not be seen, so check that important links and their anchors appear on the phone version. The mobile first indexing guide lists what else to compare.

How to audit the anchor text on your site

1. Crawl your site with an SEO crawler, or export your links. Most crawlers list every internal link with its anchor text and destination.
2. Sort by anchor text. Count the generic ones, such as click here and read more.
3. Sort by destination. For each important page, list the anchors that point to it and check that they describe the page and vary naturally.
4. Look for one anchor that points to two different pages. That makes your own pages compete, so decide which page owns the phrase.
5. Find links to redirected, error or non-canonical addresses and change them to the final address.
6. Look for phrases people search for that have no page at all. A content gap analysis shows which pages are missing, and there is nothing to link to until they exist.
7. Fix sitewide anchors first, such as navigation and footer, then body links on key pages.
8. Crawl again after the changes and compare.

For a link review done by someone else, the search engine optimisation service page describes the SEO work Liftup Technologies does.

Related guides

• SEO services
• Duplicate content and canonical tags explained
• Heading tags how to structure a page
• Types of web hosting explained
• Search intent explained the four types

Questions and answers

What is anchor text?

Anchor text is the visible, clickable text of a link. It tells the reader, and search engines, what they will find at the destination. In the sentence “see our delivery policy”, the words “delivery policy” are the anchor text if they carry the link.

What makes good anchor text?

Good anchor text is descriptive, reasonably short and relevant to both the page it sits on and the page it points to. A useful test is to read the link text on its own. If it still tells you where the link goes, it is good.

Can anchor text be over-optimised?

Yes. Repeating the same exact phrase on every link, or forcing keywords into link text, looks arranged and can break Google's spam policies. Write the sentence naturally, then link the words that name the destination.

Should anchor text match my target keyword exactly?

Sometimes it will, when the phrase fits the sentence and describes the page. It should not be required or repeated every time. Natural variation in wording is normal and does no harm.

What anchor text should I use for a link to my home page?

Your business name is the usual choice, because that is what people write when they link to a home page. In your own menu, a plain label such as Home is fine, since the position of the link already explains it.

Does anchor text matter for links from other websites?

It can help search engines understand what your page is about, but you rarely control it. Do not ask for exact phrases. Earning links from pages that suit your topic matters more than the words used.

Do I need to change anchor text on old posts?

Only where the link text is vague, misleading or points at the wrong address. Replace click here with words that name the page. You do not need to rewrite every anchor you have ever used.