What Is Anchor Text?
Anchor text is the clickable text of a hyperlink. Types, best practices, and an example of good vs. weak anchor text.
Anchor text is the clickable text of a hyperlink, usually underlined or colored differently from surrounding text. It tells both users and search engines what the linked page is about before anyone even clicks.
Why anchor text matters
Descriptive anchor text helps both crawlers and readers understand what a linked page covers, which is why “click here” is considered weak practice compared to naming the actual topic. For internal links, anchor text is one of the clearest, cheapest relevance signals available, it costs nothing to write “guide to keyword research” instead of “click here,” and it does real work for both SEO and usability. For backlinks you don’t control, anchor text distribution matters too: an unnaturally high percentage of exact-match keyword anchors across your backlink profile is a classic signal of manipulative link building that search engines are specifically tuned to catch.
Types of anchor text
- Exact-match. The anchor text matches the target page’s primary keyword exactly, e.g., “keyword research tool.” Effective in moderation, risky in excess.
- Partial-match. Includes the keyword alongside other words, e.g., “our favorite keyword research tool.”
- Branded. Uses a company or product name, e.g., “Ahrefs” or “Semrush.”
- Generic. Non-descriptive phrases like “click here” or “read more,” weak for both SEO and accessibility.
- Naked URL. The raw URL itself used as the visible link text, e.g., “https://example.com/page.”
Anchor text best practices
- Describe the destination, not the action. “Guide to keyword research” beats “click here” for both clarity and SEO value.
- Vary your anchor text naturally. Using the exact same keyword-stuffed anchor on every link to a page looks manipulative and reads unnaturally.
- Keep it concise. A few descriptive words work better than a full sentence crammed into a link.
- Match the linked page’s actual content. Misleading anchor text that doesn’t reflect the destination frustrates users and damages trust.
- Avoid generic phrases for accessibility reasons too. Screen reader users often navigate by jumping between links, “click here” repeated multiple times on a page gives them no useful context.
Good vs. weak anchor text
| Weak anchor text | Stronger alternative |
|---|---|
| “Click here” | “See our guide to keyword research” |
| “Read more” | “Learn how backlinks are evaluated” |
| Raw URL pasted in text | Descriptive phrase linking to the same URL |
| “This page” | “Our meta description guide” |
Real example
For example, in the sentence “check out our guide to keyword research,” the phrase “guide to keyword research” is the anchor text, and it’s a clearer signal to both readers and search engines than a generic “click here” link would be, without adding a single extra word to the sentence.
Anchor text and AI search
AI systems parsing page content for citation purposes rely on surrounding context, including anchor text, to understand what a linked resource covers and whether it’s worth referencing. Clear, descriptive anchor text makes it easier for both traditional crawlers and AI content extraction to correctly map the relationship between pages, one more reason generic anchors are a missed opportunity rather than a neutral choice.
FAQ
Is exact-match anchor text still safe to use?
In moderation, yes, especially for internal links. For backlinks specifically, an unnaturally high proportion of exact-match anchors across your whole profile is a red flag search engines are tuned to detect.
Does anchor text affect the linking page or the linked page?
Primarily the linked page, since the anchor text is part of how search engines interpret what that destination is about and relevant for.
Should every internal link use different anchor text?
Not strictly, but natural variation reads better and avoids the repetitive, manipulative pattern search engines are trained to flag. A mix of exact, partial, and descriptive phrasing works well.
Is “click here” always bad?
It’s rarely the best choice, since it wastes an opportunity to add context for both search engines and accessibility tools, but it isn’t penalized outright, it’s simply a missed opportunity rather than an error.
Related terms
“Click here” is a wasted link, not a neutral one. Every anchor is free real estate to tell search engines and readers exactly what’s on the other side.