Anchor Text (link text)

Anchor text is the text which is linked in a hyperlink on a webpage. Search engines attach importance to anchor text to assess the relevance of the linked website to any keywords appearing in the anchor text.

Is anchor text important for SEO?

 
In 2017, John Mueller stated that anchor text helps Google understand the context of the page being linked to. This can potentially help the page rank higher for specific search terms.

How do I optimize anchor text within internal links?

 
When talking about anchor text for internal links, John Mueller said that Google views these links from the perspective of a user. If the anchor text is written in a way for users to understand, this will help Google understand the context of the pages the link is pointing to. He also said one should avoid changing anchor text into an image link because it makes it difficult for Google to understand what the anchor text is supposed to be.

What are the different types of anchor text?

 
There are six types of anchor text:

• Exact-match match anchor text includes a keyword that describes the page that the text is linking to. For example, 'SEO glossary' that points to an SEO glossary.
• Partial match anchor text includes a keyword that is a variation of the page the link is pointing to. For example, 'SEO key terms' pointing to an SEO glossary.
• Branded anchor text includes a brand name. For example, using 'Rank Ranger' as anchor text.
• Generic anchor text is when the textual anchor does not describe the page being linked to. For example, 'click here' or 'read this'.
• A naked link is anchor text without any textual anchor. Instead, a URL is used as anchor text. For example https://www.rankranger.com/seo-glossary.

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