What Is Anchor Text? How To Optimize Anchor Text For Improved SEO Results

When it comes to SEO, anchor text optimization can mean the difference between ranking on page 1 or page 10. But what is anchor text and how do you optimize it for improved SEO results?

What Is Anchor Text?

The clickable text in a hyperlink is known as anchor text. It is intended to stand out from the rest of the text so that people realize it may be clicked on. So it should be a different color than plain text. (It is often blue.)

Other stylistic features, such as an underlining, may be used. The anchor text should tell users what sort of page they’ll be sent to if they click the link.

Why Is Anchor Text Important?

Relevant and descriptive anchor text can increase your website’s Google ranking. It can also improve the user experience. Both search engines and consumers utilize anchor text to determine the topic of a linked page.

Therefore, pertinent anchor text assists Google’s algorithm in understanding your site’s structure. And this gives it more context regarding how various documents relate to one another. The anchor text “best pizza” informs Google that the following page is about the finest pizza.

Conversely, generic anchor text such as “Click here” provides no context and is less useful. When adding anchor text to your own content, you have full control over its level of specificity. In the preceding example, “best pizza” is considerably more descriptive than “click here.”

8 Types of Anchor Text and How They Work

The following are the eight most prevalent forms of anchor text to employ on your website:

Branded

This refers to using a brand name as the anchor text without any other words. When mentioning a source or referring directly to a website, branded anchor text works effectively.

Examples

• “Use Semrush to audit your website.”
• “Visit Café du Monde to try their famous beignets”

Keyword + Brand

This sort of anchor text contains your brand name (or branded phrase) as well as an extra keyword or contextual information.

Examples

• “Use Semrush’s Backlink Analytics tool to examine your backlink profile.”
• “While in New Orleans, don’t forget to try Café du Monde’s famous beignets.”

Perfect Match

Specific match anchor text contains the precise term that the page to which it is linked is targeting.

Linking to a website on sleeper couches, for example, using the anchor phrase “sleeper sofa.”

Examples

• “Semrush’s Guide to Link Building“
• “Gift baskets from Café du Monde”

Keep in mind that Google may consider an overabundance of exact match anchor text to be a red signal. Let us return to the “sleeper sofa” scenario. If you repeatedly utilize the anchor phrase “sleeper sofa,” Google may have a more difficult time recognizing the page’s structure. This may make ranking more difficult.

Partial Match Keywords

A version of the term that the linked-to website targets is included in partial match anchor text. This signifies that the target term is contained partly or completely in the linked text, along with some additional words for context.

Examples

• “Check out Semrush’s link building strategy guide.” (“link building” is the keyword)
• “Shop our popular coffee and beignet gift baskets” (The desired keyword is “gift baskets”)

Keywords Related

Similar to partial-match anchor text, related keyword anchor text does not contain the actual keyword. This form of anchor text is useful for providing context about a page to which you’re connecting without overusing the same term.

Examples

• “Learn more about off-page SEO strategies” (“off-page SEO” is a subtopic of “link building”).
• “Save money on dog treats and toys today” (“Dog treats” and “toys” are topics connected to “pet supplies”)
• “Explore this fan-favorite New Orleans restaurant” (“fan-favorite New Orleans restaurant” is similar to “Café du Monde”).

Naked Link

When the URL of the link is used as the anchor text, it is referred to as “naked” anchor text. These are sometimes found at the bottom of articles as reference links. Use naked link anchor text only when necessary, since it might seem cluttered and confusing to readers.

Examples

• https://www.semrush.com
• https://www.costco.com
• https://shop.cafedumonde.com

Generic

There are no keywords or references in generic anchor text. Users must read the surrounding content to figure out what it’s about.

Examples

• “Click here to read more”
• “See more for more information”
• “Get more information right away.”

Use generic anchor text carefully since it might seem spammy. It also does not assist consumers or search engines in determining what a linked page will be about.

Images

When an image is used as a link, its alt text serves as the anchor text. If the picture does not load, the anchor text may still be clicked on. Here’s an example of alt text in action from the University of Dayton:

Alt text, like standard anchor text, should be descriptive and avoid using too many keywords. Alt text is generally often lengthier than anchor text since it must describe what is in the picture as well as (sometimes) why the image is contextually included in the first place.

Here’s an illustration of a cat scratching post. ✅ Alt text: cactus-shaped cat scratching post with pink flowers

How to Optimize Anchor Text for Improved SEO Results

Now that we’ve covered the various varieties of anchor text, let’s dive into anchor text optimization. Anchor text optimized for SEO is: Brief, pertinent to the page you’re linking to, and not keyword-stuffed. Here are a few fundamental guidelines for composing sturdy anchor text:

Ensure Relevant Use of Anchor Text

Relevant anchor text assists Google in understanding your site’s architecture. Therefore, it may assist your website’s search engine rankings. Relevant anchor text also appears more natural to your readers, increasing the likelihood that they will click on the link.

Google and human visitors read anchor text to determine the topic of web pages. Consider what would create the most natural experience when deciding which words to use.

However, there is a delicate line between optimizing to include pertinent keywords and adding too many keywords. Here is an example of anchor text that explains to users what type of page they will discover after clicking the link:

In this case, someone is already reading a crocheting article. It makes sense to lead readers to an article on frequent crochet abbreviations if they click on the anchor term “abbreviation” in the context of the article.

Avoid Over-Optimizing Your Anchor Text

There are no established length recommendations for anchor text, but make it as brief as possible. We propose that anchor text be kept to five words or fewer.

As a reminder, Google may penalize excessive use of exact match anchor text. Use a variety of anchor text kinds for the greatest results. This sounds much more natural.

When creating anchor text, consider the following:

• What is the most brief yet descriptive description of the linked page?
• Would people anticipate landing on the linked page if they clicked this anchor text?

Google provides an example of keyword stuffing and over-optimized anchor text:

When you link out at every chance, your website seems spammy. Instead of writing with links in mind, develop quality, intriguing content first and then add links as needed.

Anchor text chances arise organically when you write with your viewers in mind. Here’s an example of a powerful paragraph with effective anchor text:

Pro tip: If you want to avoid confusing visitors and search engines, don’t use the same anchor text more than once on a page (even if you’re connecting to distinct sites each time).

Pay Attention to Surrounding Text

The language that appears around your anchor text might assist readers comprehend the context of what you’re connecting to. It also offers search engines additional context.

Google’s algorithm now favours natural language because Google strives to provide accurate search results based on how people really write and speak. As a result, it’s critical to pay attention to the words around your anchor text.

Consider when you come across a link in the article you’re reading. When determining whether or not to click a link, you don’t only glance at the anchor text. You’ll most likely read the full sentence containing the anchor text, if not the entire paragraph.

When Google analyzes your page, it performs the same thing. Because it is merely part of a phrase, the anchor text “aiming for 50-55 characters” implies nothing on its own.

The whole statement, on the other hand—”Though aiming for 51-55 characters increases the odds that Google won’t rewrite your title tags”—informs users and Google that the anchor text is linked to title tags. As a result, Google can better comprehend what the linked website is about based on the context of the surrounding phrases.

Fix Alt Text Issues

To examine your site for missing alt text, go to the Issues page in SEMRUSH’s Site Audit tool. When you search for “alt attribute,” you’ll get a warning that says “x images don’t have alt attributes.”

To find out which picture URLs are causing the issue and which page they’re on, click the link (“57 images” here). Fill up the appropriate alt text for each one.

How to Add Anchor Text

Anchor text looks like this picture in HTML code. CMSs such as WordPress allow users to add, update, and delete anchor text with a single click. No coding is needed.

It’s as easy as this:

Create a new post in WordPress and begin writing your content. Then, highlight the words you wish to use as anchor text.

Then, in the text formatting bar, click on the link symbol. Insert your destination link into the resulting space, and your plain text will be transformed into anchor text. After you press the publish button, your anchor text should be highlighted in a distinct color to signify that it is clickable.

Do you not use WordPress? Other CMSs, such as Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify, follow the same process.

Conclusion

Anchor text improves SEO and website exposure. Avoid overoptimization to avoid Google penalties.

Instead, balance keyword-rich anchor text with natural, informative anchors. This method optimizes internal and external website linking. Use these methods to create anchor text for your website that combines keywords and significant information to optimize its effect.