Anchor Text

What Is Anchor Text

Anchor text is the string that users see and can click — usually highlighted in blue and underlined. In HTML markup, anchor text sits between the opening and closing <a> tags. For example, in the link <a href="page.html">SEO glossary</a>, the anchor text is 'SEO glossary'.

<!-- Example of a link with anchor text -->
<a href="https://seohead.tech/glossary">Go to glossary</a>

Why Anchor Text Matters for SEO

Anchor text gives search engines context about the target page. When site A links to site B with the anchor 'best robot vacuums', Google receives a signal that page B is relevant to that topic. This affects:

• Link juice (PageRank) flow — quality anchors help distribute equity evenly.
• Keyword rankings — a page may start ranking for words used in inbound anchors, even if those words don't appear on the page.
• Understanding site structure — anchors in internal links show the bot hierarchy and important sections.

Types of Anchor Text

There are several main types of anchor text. A natural profile contains all types in certain proportions:

• Exact Match — the anchor exactly matches the target keyword: 'buy baby stroller'.
• Partial Match — contains the keyword plus other words: 'how to choose a baby stroller'.
• Branded — the brand name: 'Baby World' or 'Strollers.ru'.
• Generic — carries no semantic load: 'here', 'source', 'more details', 'go to site'.
• Naked URL — the full address: `https://example.com/strollers`.
• Image Alt — the anchor becomes the alt attribute of a linked image.

Best Practices & Guidelines

To make anchor text work for SEO without harming it, follow these principles:

• Diversify anchors — keep exact matches below 20-30% (sometimes 10% in competitive niches).
• For internal linking, mostly use partial and generic anchors; avoid identical text on many links.
• Do not overuse commercial words (buy, order, price) in inbound anchor text — a red flag for Google.
• Use branded anchors as the foundation of your profile (up to 50% in some niches).
• Don't forget image anchors: fill alt correctly.

Example of a balanced anchor profile (for a page about washing machines):
- Branded: 45% ("Samsung washing", "LG official site")
- URL/Generic: 25% ("here", "https://example.com/wm")
- Partial: 20% ("Samsung washing machine repair")
- Exact match: 10% ("buy LG washing machine")