How to Optimize Anchor Text For SEO

What is anchor text? It’s clickable text in web content that links to another page. This could be a related page on your website or someone else’s site.

You might not realize it, but details like anchor text matter.

Why? Because we’re working with a more intelligent, complex algorithm and hundreds of Google ranking factors.

Anchor text seems like a small detail when there are so many other SEO factors to consider, but it impacts things like your user experience and authority in the eyes of search engines. It’s worth paying attention to.

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That’s why I’m about to review how to optimize your anchor text for SEO.

Ready to learn more? Let’s go!

Key Takeaways

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Anchor text is the clickable text you see in a hyperlink.
There are different ways to optimize anchor text with keywords: branded text, text that matches the URL exactly, or partial match text.
Anchor texts play a role in helping users navigate your site and give Google’s algorithm a good idea of who your content is relevant for.
By using internal links and anchor texts correctly, you can improve your website’s user experience and search engine optimization.

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Make your anchor text descriptive and ensure it’s no longer than five words.
What Is Anchor Text in SEO?
Here’s an example of anchor text from my blog:
Anchor text is important to SEO because it signals to both your website’s users and search engines. When used correctly, it allows you to share credible information from another website or link internally to relevant content.

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It also plays a role in helping users navigate your site and gives Google’s algorithm a good idea of who your content is relevant for.

If you look at your site’s code, you’ll see a line that looks like this:
This is the part of your site that Google sees.

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There is a section that tells your web browser and search engines which link to follow.

Here’s how that translates to what’s on your page:
When a user clicks on the link, it takes them to the indicated page, but there’s another reason you’ll want to use anchor text: SEO.
Anchor text is important to SEO because it provides context and relevance to search engines and searchers alike. Using relevant anchor text signals to Google, Bing, and others that the link offers valuable, relevant content to online searchers.

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The are other benefits to using anchor text, like:

Internal links help search engines understand the hierarchy and relationships between your website pages and provide a more organized website structure.
If an authoritative site links to your content via anchor text, this gives your content added credibility and authority.

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Using clear, descriptive anchor text helps visitors, too. It provides clear expectations so the user knows what they’ll find if they click through. Using optimized anchor text can increase rankings for those keywords. Just be careful to avoid over-optimized anchor text.

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Note: Over-optimized anchor text is something to avoid if you want to maximize ROI from your content marketing, as, sadly, when algorithms change, many brands see massive traffic dips.

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Different Types of Anchor Text for SEO
When it comes to search engines, digital marketing experts like to leave no stone unturned and that includes defining anchor text for SEO.

There are many types of anchor text you can use. Below are the main types with examples.

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1. Exact Match
An exact match anchor text is when you use anchor text wording as the targeted keywords for your entire page. For example, using “free SEO tool” as the anchor text to link to my SEO tool Ubersuggest.

Here are a few more examples:

Denver, CO Weather points readers to a page about the weather in Denver.
Technical SEO as anchor text directs readers to a page about technical SEO.
Link building sends you to a page about, yes, you guessed it, link building.

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In the early days of SEO, using exact match anchor text several times on a single page almost guaranteed your post would do well. But, they were overused to such an extent that Google penalized overuse.

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It’s still a good idea to use some exact-match anchor texts. However, you should generally mix them with other types to avoid over-optimizing anchor text.

2. Partial Match
Partial match anchor texts include your keyword along with other words. I like to use this type of anchor text the most. It looks like this:

“Stay informed about the latest changes to the Google algorithm.”

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It’s an especially useful method because I can still include my keyword without coming across as spammy. Google can still follow my link and better understand the content on my page without suspecting me of trying to manipulate its algorithm.

Since this isn’t seen as a manipulative linking practice, it’s a highly recommended way to boost the authority of your page. But, like other strategies, you don’t want to overuse them.

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I also recommend avoiding sentence-long anchor texts. These dilute any keywords you use and can confuse the user.

3. Branded
Next, you have branded anchor texts that rely on a brand’s name to establish authority.

Here’s an example from Ahrefs using branded text:
If you’re including a link to another company’s website, this is a great practice.

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For example: “Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso.”

This is another safe and effective way to build a stronger anchor profile, as it signals to Google that you’re pointing toward other high-quality tools, products and services.

Of course, you also want to try to find other brands to help you with your link-building efforts in this way.

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4. Naked Link
This type of anchor text is easy to use–but also not the most effective. It’s commonly used for sources, such as an image or a quote. It is simply the URL pasted into a post in all its naked glory.

For example:

A survey from www.thisisareliablesource.com shows that 45 percent of marketers think adding anchor text helps their website ranking.
According to statistica.com, Facebook users spent an average of 35 minutes a day on the network.

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You can see why this isn’t a good idea. When reading content, it’s pretty disruptive to have your attention diverted away to a reference suddenly. It can also affect accessibility as the above links would sound like gibberish on a screen reader.

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It might also lead your visitors to believe you’re not as technically inclined, ultimately making them doubt your authority.

Additionally, these links don’t provide any contextual info about the linked page, which can reduce the user experience.

Whenever possible, avoid this type of anchor text.

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5. Generic
“She said.” “This page.” “Here.”

You’ve probably seen a lot of generic anchor text, which can sometimes make it easier to create content that flows or prompts a call to action.

Use this type of anchor text when you want to draw your audience’s eye to a credible source or useful tool. Highlight parts of the sentence to show users where you want them to go.

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See what I did there? The “useful tool” link takes you to AnswerThePublic, but there’s no way of knowing that. Visitors don’t know what they’ll get until they click through.

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If overused, this type of anchor text may come across as dishonest. Users generally like to know what they’re clicking on. This type of anchor text also doesn’t help Google learn about the content you’re linking to.

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6. Latent Semantic Index Keywords (LSI)
While this next option may sound complicated, it’s really just the method that search engines use to predict what users will type into the search bar. When I type “what is anchor” into Google, the search bar provides a series of other popular search options to choose from.