What Is Anchor Text?
Also known as Link text, Link label
Anchor text is the visible, clickable words in a hyperlink. Search engines use it as a clue to what the linked page is about, and readers use it to decide whether to click. Descriptive anchor text helps rankings and usability, while overusing exact-match keyword anchors in backlinks can look manipulative.
Anchor Text explained
When a page links with the words "cold email deliverability guide", search engines learn that the destination is probably about cold email deliverability. Across many links, anchor text builds a picture of the target page's topic. That is why it matters for both backlinks from other sites and internal links within your own site.
Common types include exact match (the target keyword), partial match (keyword plus other words), branded (your company name), naked URLs, generic text ("click here", "learn more") and image links, where the image's alt text acts as the anchor. A natural backlink profile mixes all of these, with branded and partial-match anchors usually most common because that is how people naturally link.
You control internal anchor text completely, so use it well: descriptive, varied and relevant to the destination. You do not control most backlink anchors, and trying to force exact-match anchors through paid or guest links is a classic manipulation pattern Google's systems watch for. Google's guidance is simple: anchor text should be descriptive, reasonably concise and relevant to the page it links to.
Anchor Text example
A blog post about outbound strategy links to a pricing calculator three times. Version one uses "click here" each time, which tells search engines nothing. Version two uses "cold email ROI calculator", "calculate your outbound ROI" and "this free ROI tool". The second version gives readers clear expectations and gives search engines strong, varied context about the destination page without repeating one exact keyword.
<!-- Descriptive -->
<a href="https://www.example.com/tools/cold-email-roi/">cold email ROI calculator</a>
<!-- Generic, avoid -->
<a href="https://www.example.com/tools/cold-email-roi/">click here</a>How to write good anchor text
Describe the destination
Use words that tell the reader exactly what they will find after clicking, ideally including the topic of the linked page.
Keep it concise
Link a short phrase, usually a few words, rather than a full sentence or a single vague word.
Vary internal anchors
Link to important pages with several natural variations of the topic instead of the identical keyword phrase every time.
Fit it into the sentence
Write the sentence first, then link the phrase that best describes the target. The anchor should read naturally in context.
Leave backlink anchors natural
When others link to you, let them choose wording. If asked, suggest your brand name or a descriptive phrase, not an exact keyword.
Common mistakes
- Using "click here" or "read more" for most internal links, wasting useful context.
- Requesting exact-match keyword anchors in guest posts or paid placements, a common link spam pattern.
- Linking the same anchor text to two different pages, which confuses which page covers the topic.
- Making anchors so long that the whole sentence becomes a link.
- Forgetting alt text on linked images, leaving the link with no descriptive text.
Anchor Text FAQ
Exact match anchor text uses the precise keyword the target page wants to rank for, such as "CRM software" linking to a CRM product page. It is fine occasionally and in internal links, but a backlink profile dominated by exact-match anchors looks unnatural and can be treated as manipulation.
Yes. Google's documentation advises using descriptive anchor text because it helps both people and Google understand the linked page. Its effect is strongest within your own internal links, where you control the wording. For backlinks, natural and varied anchors are safest.
There is no official ratio. Natural profiles tend to be led by branded, naked URL and partial-match anchors, with exact-match anchors a small share. Compare your profile with top-ranking competitors in Ahrefs or Semrush rather than chasing a fixed percentage.
Yes. Internal links with exact-match or close-match anchors are normal and help search engines understand your site structure. Google does not treat internal anchors the way it treats manipulative backlinks. Still, vary wording naturally so the text reads well for visitors.