Anchor Text

Anchor text is the visible, clickable text in a hyperlink that tells users and search engines what the linked page is about.

Beginner5 min readUpdated 2026-07-26Reviewed by Lucía Marín

Key takeaways

Anchor text is the clickable text in a hyperlink, crucial for SEO and usability.
Use descriptive, concise phrases that match the linked page's content.
Avoid generic anchors and keyword stuffing; vary your anchor text types.
Apply best practices to both internal and external links for maximum benefit.

Anchor text is a fundamental element of both internal and external links, helping users and search engines navigate the web.

Code: <a href="https://example.com">SEO guide</a> → The anchor text is "SEO guide".
In context: "Read our SEO guide to improve your rankings." → The clickable words are "SEO guide".

Internal linking: Connect related pages on your site with descriptive anchor text.
External linking: Link to authoritative sources to support your content.
Navigation menus: Use clear anchor text for menu items.
Call-to-action links: Guide users to take action (e.g., "Download the report").

Not the URL: The full hyperlink includes the URL and anchor text; anchor text is only the visible part.
Not the link title attribute: The title attribute provides extra info on hover, but anchor text is what users see and click.
Not a ranking factor on its own: While helpful, anchor text is just one of many signals for search engines.
Not a place to stuff keywords: Overusing exact-match keywords can harm SEO.

Write descriptive text: Use 2-5 words that describe the destination page.
Keep it concise: Avoid long sentences; short phrases work best.
Match the context: Ensure the anchor text fits naturally in the surrounding sentence.
Vary your anchor types: Mix branded, partial-match, and generic anchors.
Test for usability: Click the link to confirm the destination matches the anchor text.

Using "click here" or "read more": These give no context to users or search engines.
Keyword stuffing: Repeating the same exact-match anchor text looks manipulative.
Misleading text: Anchor text that doesn't match the destination page frustrates users.
Overly long anchors: Sentence-length anchors are hard to read and dilute relevance.

What is anchor text in SEO?

Anchor text is the clickable text in a hyperlink. It helps search engines understand the content of the linked page and can influence rankings.

What is an example of anchor text?

In the link <a href='https://example.com'>SEO guide</a>, the anchor text is 'SEO guide'.

What is the difference between anchor text and hyperlink?

A hyperlink is the entire clickable link (URL + anchor text), while anchor text is only the visible text part.

Google Search Central — Most authoritative source for Google’s guidance on descriptive, concise link text.
Google Search Central — Useful for how Google discovers and interprets links and anchor text context.
Yoast — Clear beginner-friendly definition and SEO explanation.
Ahrefs — Widely cited SEO reference covering anchor text types and best practices.

Reviewed by Lucía Marín, Founding editor.