What Is Anchor Text?
Anchor text is the visible, clickable words of a hyperlink, usually shown underlined and in a different colour. In the HTML <a href="/services/seo/">SEO services</a>, the anchor text is "SEO services". It is the part a reader actually sees and clicks.
Anchor text matters because it gives context. Both users and search engines read it to predict what the linked page is about before they visit it. A link that says "read our pricing guide" sets a clear expectation, while a link that just says "here" tells you nothing. Google uses anchor text as one signal for understanding and ranking the destination page.
Anchor text applies to internal links (between pages on your own site) and external links (backlinks from other sites). Both contribute to how search engines interpret a page's relevance.
Why Anchor Text Matters
Anchor text shapes relevance signals. When reputable sites link to your page using descriptive, topical anchors, it reinforces what that page is about and can help it rank for related searches. Internal anchor text does the same job within your own site, guiding both visitors and crawlers to your most important pages.
There are several common types of anchor text. Branded anchors use your company name ("Juicy Designs"). Exact-match anchors use the precise keyword ("SEO Cape Town"). Partial-match anchors include the keyword in a longer phrase ("our SEO services in Cape Town"). Generic anchors use neutral words ("click here", "this page"). Naked URL anchors show the raw web address. A healthy link profile contains a natural blend of all these types.
How to Use Anchor Text (and the Over-Optimisation Risk)
For best results, write anchor text that is descriptive, relevant, and natural. It should make sense to a human reading the sentence and accurately describe the destination. For internal links, prefer specific phrases like "Google Ads management" over vague ones like "click here". Keep anchors reasonably concise and avoid forcing the same keyword into every link.
The biggest risk is over-optimisation. If a large share of your backlinks use the identical exact-match keyword, the pattern looks manipulated rather than earned. Google's algorithms, dating back to the Penguin update, are designed to detect this and can suppress rankings or apply a penalty. A natural profile is weighted towards branded and partial-match anchors, with only a modest proportion of exact-match links.
Anchor text is closely tied to your wider link strategy. Related concepts worth understanding include the backlink and domain authority. To review and improve how your site earns and uses links, our SEO audit and SEO services can help.
Types of anchor text
Anchor text, the visible clickable words of a link, comes in recognised types. Exact-match anchors use the target's keyword precisely ("local SEO"). Partial-match anchors include the keyword within a phrase ("our local SEO services"). Branded anchors use the business name. Naked anchors are the raw URL. Generic anchors use non-descriptive words ("click here", "read more"). And related anchors use terms around the topic without the exact keyword. A natural link profile contains a mix; an unnatural over-reliance on exact-match anchors, especially from external links, can look manipulative to search engines. The guiding idea is that anchor text should describe the destination for the reader, and variety across a profile reads as genuine rather than engineered.
Anchor text for backlinks versus internal links
Anchor text carries different risk depending on whether it is on your own site or another. For internal links, you control the anchors and should make them descriptive of the destination, since this helps both readers and search engines understand your pages; there is little manipulation risk in describing your own pages accurately. For backlinks from other sites, a profile dominated by exact-match commercial anchors can look engineered, because genuine editorial links tend to use varied, natural wording, including brand and URL anchors. This is why link building that produces identical keyword-rich anchors at scale is risky, and why earned links, which naturally vary, are safer as well as more valuable.
FAQ
What is over-optimised anchor text?
Over-optimised anchor text is an unnatural pattern of links that all use the same exact-match keyword phrase, for example dozens of backlinks reading "cheap car insurance". Search engines treat this as a manipulation signal and it can trigger a ranking penalty. A natural link profile mixes branded, exact-match, partial-match, and generic anchors.
What anchor text should I use for internal links?
For internal links, use descriptive anchor text that tells both users and search engines what the destination page covers, such as "SEO audit" or "Google Ads management". Avoid generic phrases like "click here", which provide no context.
What is exact-match anchor text?
Anchor text that uses the exact keyword the target page targets, such as linking the words "local SEO" to a local SEO page. It is descriptive, but an unnatural concentration of exact-match anchors from external links can appear manipulative to search engines.
Does anchor text affect rankings?
Yes. Anchor text helps search engines understand what a linked page is about, so descriptive anchors support relevance. But over-optimised, repetitive exact-match anchors from backlinks can look manipulative and backfire, which is why natural variety matters for external links.