Anchor Text

Definition

Anchor text is the clickable, visible text of a hyperlink, and it provides search engines with context about what the linked page is about and what topics that page should be associated with in search results. When a website links to yours using the anchor text "custom wedding cakes Chicago," Google registers a signal that your page is relevant to that phrase. When the anchor text is "click here" or "learn more," Google receives no topical signal from the link itself.

How It Works

Search engines analyze the anchor text of both external links pointing to your site and internal links within your own site. Exact-match anchor text (where the anchor text exactly matches the keyword you want to rank for) carries a strong relevance signal but should not be overused on external links, as unnatural patterns can look like link manipulation to Google. Natural anchor text mixes include: branded anchors (your business name), exact-match anchors, partial-match anchors, and generic anchors like "this page" or "here."

For your own internal linking, using descriptive anchor text is one of the simplest ways to send relevant topic signals to pages you want to strengthen.

Why It Matters

Anchor text is one of the signals Google uses to understand what your pages are about and what searches they should rank for. Well-chosen anchor text on your own internal links is completely within your control and costs nothing. When you link from one page on your site to another, using the phrase you want the destination page to rank for as the anchor text reinforces that association in Google's understanding.

Example

A plumbing company's blog post about water pressure problems links to their service page with the anchor text "our pipe repair services in Denver" instead of "click here." That descriptive anchor tells Google the destination page is about pipe repair in Denver. Over time, as more internal links use descriptive anchor text, the service page's relevance signals for Denver pipe repair strengthen.

Related Terms

Backlink, Internal Linking, Off-Page SEO, On-Page SEO, Keyword Research

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