What Is Anchor Text and How Does It Affect SEO?

Anchor text is the visible, clickable words that make up a hyperlink. When another website links to yours, the words they use to create that link — the anchor text — send a signal to Google about the content of the page being linked to.

For SEO, anchor text matters because it helps search engines understand the topic and relevance of the destination page. A page that receives many links with the anchor text “corporate solicitors in Birmingham” is more likely to rank for that phrase than one whose inbound links all say simply “click here.”

Types of anchor text

Exact match anchor text uses the precise keyword you want the linked page to rank for. For example, linking to a conveyancing page with the anchor “conveyancing solicitors Norwich” is an exact match. While powerful, overuse of exact match anchors looks unnatural and can trigger a Google penalty.

Partial match anchors include the keyword along with other words: “our experienced conveyancing solicitors” or “find a conveyancing service near you.” These are more natural-sounding and make up a healthy portion of a balanced anchor profile.

Branded anchors use your company or website name: “Xpose” or “Xpose Online.” These are natural and expected and should make up a significant share of your inbound anchor text.

Generic anchors — “click here,” “read more,” “visit website” — provide little keyword signal but are natural and add diversity to your profile. Naked URL anchors, where the URL itself is used as the anchor, are also common and expected.

What a healthy anchor profile looks like

A natural, healthy anchor text profile contains a mix of all the types described above. Branded and generic anchors should make up the majority. Keyword-rich anchors — exact and partial match — should be present but not dominant.

If your backlink profile is dominated by exact match keyword anchors, it can look manipulative to Google. In the Penguin era, this kind of over-optimisation led to significant ranking drops for many sites. Aim for diversity and naturalness.

When building links proactively through outreach or digital PR, vary the anchor text you suggest. Where possible, let the linking site choose their own wording — this produces the most natural-looking profile over time.

Internal anchor text matters too

The anchor text of your internal links — the links from one page on your site to another — also sends signals to Google. Use descriptive, keyword-relevant anchor text for internal links rather than generic phrases. This helps Google understand the topic of the linked page and can improve rankings without requiring any external links at all.

Avoid using the same generic phrase like “learn more” for every internal link. Instead, write anchor text that describes what the reader will find: “how stamp duty is calculated” or “our guide to the conveyancing process.”