Anchor texts may look like small, unimportant parts of a page, but they actually do so much behind the scenes.
These clickable words don’t just take you to a new page; they give insight as to what the page is about (and how two pages are connected) for both users and search engines.
In modern SEO, search engines analyze what a page is about using anchor texts. So, this not only helps search engines “understand” and rank your site better, but it’s also good for organizing and connecting your content.
In this guide, we’ll be discussing what an anchor text is, why it’s important for SEO, and how to use it to improve your site’s visibility, without overdoing it.
What Is Anchor Text?
Anchor text is the text in blue in a hyperlink you can click on. It takes you to another page or site. For example, in the sentence “learn how to rank higher on Google,” the words “rank higher” are the anchors.
While in HTML, it would look like something like this:
<a href="https://example.com">rank higher</a>
The first part is the destination, and the second part (the anchor text) is what users interact with. While there are various types of anchors (more on that later), it’s best to have it be clear and descriptive of what to expect from the link.
The Main Types of Anchor Text (with examples)
There are different types of anchor texts, and understanding the nature and purpose of each type helps you get the most out of them.
Let’s say you’re on a music reviewing blog. It’s a numbered list, and they’ve linked the songs to the YouTube videos of the songs. One of them is “All My Love” by Led Zeppelin.
- Exact match anchor text: Uses the exact words as the link. For example, “our top pick is All My Love.”
- Partial match anchors: Use slight variations. “This was our top pick for best songs from 1979.” This helps make the text feel natural.
- Branded anchor text: Using company or brand names counts as branded anchors. “We chose this Led Zeppelin song.”
- Generic anchors: these types of anchors usually use generic phrases like “click here” or “read more.” So, in our example, it would look like: “click here to listen to that song.” These are fine, but don’t really help search engines understand the context.
- Naked URLs: Pasting the link URL as is. “Here’s our top pick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0DAnu5Sq6k.” While it’s less natural, it’s still effective on occasion.
- Image-based anchors: This type is when the alt text of an image is a clickable link. So, imagine a picture listicle, where clicking on the picture of the song or band will take you to the song.
The best SEO strategies use all of these different types, and not lean heavily on just one type.
How Anchor Text Works in SEO
So far, we have established that anchors are good for navigation purposes. They help users find new pages and resources. But the fact of the matter is, they do a lot more than that. They allow search engines to better grasp what your site is about (and who to recommend it to).
Search engines crawl websites, checking their internal and external links to understand how the pages are connected. If there are different pages or sites linking to the same page, that helps search engines understand what that page is about and how to rank it.
But it’s not about getting exact keyword matches anymore. Search engines have developed to interpret things like context, the surrounding words and subject, and the linking page’s topic to understand meaning. So, your focus should be on relevance.
This is especially important for internal linking. If several pages link to the same destination using similar phrasing, search engines begin associating that page with a specific topic. This helps determine when and where it should appear in search results.
That’s why the way you use anchor texts matters.
Firstly, your anchor text must fit naturally into your sentence. If it feels forced, it will likely ‘read’ out of place. When you insert links into your content, they must blend naturally with the rest of your content, as this helps users effortlessly navigate (and understand) your pages.
When using anchor texts, make sure they reflect their correct destination pages. Misleading links often lead to a poor user experience, weakening trust signals. Also, try not to repeat the same keyword-heavy anchors across multiple pages. Not only does this make it feel unnatural, but it also throws search engines off, affecting your visibility in the long run.
Your best bet is to focus on clarity, relevance, and variation. Substitute forcing keywords with a more intentional approach, like using descriptive phrases that match the context of your content and the intent of the page you’re linking to.
Internal Linking and Anchor Text Strategy
Internal linking is one of the most powerful SEO tools available, and anchor text is what makes it effective.
When you have a well-organized linking system, which means your content is organized, and related pages are seamlessly linked to one another (via anchor texts), you build topical relevance across your site. This automatically helps Google get a clear feel as to what your content is about.
You can do this using the topic cluster model, where your main pillar page is supported by related articles. This is where anchor texts become useful. By linking strategically, you then signal which pages are central topics and which ones provide supporting information.
For instance, if you have a main page about SEO, you might link it to articles that talk about link building, technical SEO, and keyword research. The anchor text used in those links can clearly show how each piece fits into the bigger picture.
Simply put, internal linking is what guides readers through your content in a natural way, improving both user experience and search visibility.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
There’s a fine line between correct and risky use of anchor texts.
For example, overusing exact match keywords is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. It may seem helpful, but it’s actually the quickest way to create unnatural patterns that Google (and other search engines) may interpret as manipulation.
Try not to focus too much on using generic phrases like “click here” or “read more.” These offer very little context without strengthening relevance.
Misleading anchor text is another issue you need to watch out for, which usually plays out in one of two ways. The first is that when the text doesn’t match the destination content, it confuses users and compromises trust. The second has to do with using the same anchor text repeatedly across multiple pages. This creates internal competition, making it harder for search engines to determine which page to rank.
Finally, avoid anchor dilution. When you use too many vague or different anchor texts, you water down the clarity of those signals in the eyes of Google.
When you’re intentional (and consistent) in your linking strategy, you’re more likely to avoid these common anchor text mistakes.
How to Improve Your Anchor Texts
To improve anchor text, you need to know how you’ve been linking so far. Do you have repeated phrases or overused words? Are the placements unnatural or forced? These are things you need to assess before you can make any changes. That’s step one.
Once you know where you’re at, the next step is to vary your anchors. Don’t fixate on getting exact word matches. Those don’t matter as much as sounding natural and using words that are relevant to the topic of the linked page.
A good rule of thumb is: if it stops the flow or sticks out, it’s not a good anchor.
Next, clean up your internal links. Every link should serve a purpose. So, make sure the linked pages are first, relevant, and second, linked to make navigation easier for readers. Is it relevant to what they’re looking for? Is it helpful? And would they want to click on it? That’s how you strengthen your topical authority.
And lastly, track your SEO performance. See whether the changes you’ve made are affecting your visibility and trustworthiness. For this, you can use tools like Google Search Console or Ahrefs.
So What Actually Matters?
Anchor text is a small but crucial part of any SEO strategy. It helps your content get discovered, labeled, and organized. What’s more, search engines get to understand the context of your brand better and improve the structure of the website.
Your job is to make sure the anchor text sounds natural, has a relevant location, and is helpful for readers. If used well, this feature can improve user experience, site visibility, and SEO performance, all without resorting to any aggressive optimization tactics.
If you need help putting all of this into practice, LinkyJuice is here for you. We make internal linking and SEO structure easier to manage, so your content can perform better without the guesswork.
