Anchor Text

Anchor text is the clickable, visible text of a hyperlink. It is the words that are highlighted and linked, rather than the raw URL itself. For example, in the sentence “read our guide to technical SEO,” the phrase “guide to technical SEO” would be the anchor text.

It appears in HTML like this:

<a href="https://www.example.com">guide to technical SEO</a>

There are several types that are commonly used:

• Exact match — uses the precise keyword the linked page is targeting (e.g. “technical SEO consultant”)
• Partial match — includes a variation of the target keyword (e.g. “tips from an SEO consultant”)
• Branded — uses a brand name as the anchor (e.g. “Nikki Halliwell SEO”)
• Naked URL — the URL itself is used as the anchor (e.g. “www.nikkihalliwell.com”)
• Generic — non-descriptive text such as “click here” or “read more”

Anchor text provides context to both users and search engines about what the linked page is about. When other websites link to your content using relevant, descriptive text, it can help reinforce what your page should rank for. However, an unnatural pattern of anchors (particularly an overreliance on exact-match anchors) can be seen as a manipulative tactic and may trigger a Google penalty. A healthy, varied anchor text profile is a sign of natural link building.