Anchor text

Topic Overview

Anchor text refers to the clickable text in a hyperlink. It's typically underlined and highlighted in blue, though web designers can modify its appearance according to the website's design theme. The importance of anchor text comes from its ability to give search engines and users relevant contextual information about the content of the link's destination.

SEO Relevance

From an SEO perspective, search engines use anchor text as a way to understand what a webpage is about. For instance, if numerous links pointing to a particular page contain "digital marketing strategies" as their anchor text, search engines will infer that the page is likely related to digital marketing strategies. This can help the page rank higher for these terms in search engine results.

Usage Types

Anchor text can be classified into several types based on their appearance, intent, and SEO relevance:

Exact Match

This is when the anchor text is the exact keyword or phrase that the linked page is trying to rank for in search engines.

`Example: Digital Marketing Strategies`

Partial Match

Partial match anchor text includes variations of the keyword or phrase that the linked page is trying to rank for.

`Example: best digital marketing strategies`

Generic

This is non-descriptive text often used in anchor text such as "click here", "read more", or "find out more".

`Example: For more information on marketing, click here.`

Branded

This includes the brand name or the brand's URL as the anchor text.

`Example: Visit Example Company for more details.`

Naked URL

This involves using the URL itself as the anchor text.

`Example: Visit us at https://www.example.com.`

Best Practices

As a general rule, digital marketers and SEO professionals should aim for a balance in the types of anchor text they use. Overuse of exact match anchor text can appear manipulative to search engines and may potentially result in penalties. Instead, it's better to use a mix of anchor text types to provide a more natural linking profile.

It's also recommended to use relevant and descriptive anchor texts that provide value to users, rather than generic terms like "click here". This can improve user experience and potentially increase click-through rates.