Editorial Staff
Anchor text is the clickable text in the hyperlink.
It is used to describe the link and one of the important factor of SERP ranking.
Normally, it appear in different color than the other text or often underlined, to indicate that it is a hyperlink.
Here is the example of anchor text for you:
Anchor text is the clickable text in the hyperlink.
And here is how it look like in HTML:
The first section of the code contains the URL target while the second section describes the link.
When you click the hyperlink, it will direct you to https://searchenginementor.com/anchor-text/, and from the text “Anchor text”, you have the idea that the link will be something about anchor text.
Why Anchor Text is Important in SEO?
Anchor text or also known as “link text” are important in SEO internally and externally.
Internally – when you placed text link in your site to other site: It help search engine make sense of what are you linking to and it will help to give clearer structure if you point it internally.
Externally – when other site placed text link to your site:Â it is a reflection on how other people view your site.
Types of Anchor Text
The anchor text is classified based on the context of the text itself.
Take a look on below:
1. Exact Match Keyword
Exact anchor text contains the same keyword as that the targeted page’s keyword.
For example, we target https://searchenginementor.com/domain-authority and put the anchor text as “domain authority” in one of our page https://searchenginementor.com/link-building.
Since the page https://searchenginementor.com/domain-authority target a keyword of “domain authority”, we put the same anchor text as it keyword “domain authority”.
This way, it will help to boost the ranking of the page on that keyword.
2. Partial Match Keyword
Unlike exact match, partial match includes a variation of the keyword that is still related to the linked page’s keyword.
For example, anchor text “domain authority concept explained” linking to https://searchenginementor.com/domain-authority.
3. Site Name
Typically, site name anchor texts are used when a site cited some information from another site.
Here is the example:
In the above sample, lifehack-solution.com is the site name anchor text.
4. Branded
Similar to the point number 2, but this time, in the form of the brand name.
Here is the example:
According to Life Hack Solution, ……
From the sample, Life Hack Solution is the branded anchor text.
5. Generic
A common generic anchor text that you will often find are: “Click here”, “Read More”.
This is sometimes confuse the readers and search engine in understanding what is the link pointed to about.
6. Page Title
Usually, page title anchor text comes together with the word “Read Also” or “Related”.
Here is the example:
Read Also: Should You Accept Guest Post on Your Site?
Best Practice of Anchor Text Placement
As a webmaster, you can’t control of how others are linking to you (external anchor text), but you still can control your internal anchor text.
Here are some of the practices that you can follow:
1. Keep it Short
There is no limitation of anchor text length limit while you’re able to place as many text as you want.
However, it is recommended to keep it concise and short as possible.
2. Avoid Keyword Stuffing
Placing an excessive number of exact anchor texts is the form of keyword stuffing, one of the black-hat SEO strategy.
The excessive usage of anchor text can lead to Google penalties as it is considered spammy and attempt to trick SERP ranking.
For example, when you’re doing a link building, all the anchor text that is placed in all your guest post is exact anchor text.
This will looks unnatural and suspicious in front of search engine’s eye.
3. Target Page Relevance
Link relevancy is one of the important metrics in search engine eyes.
When placing an anchor text, make sure that is related to the content and topic of the targeted page.
For example, you don’t want to put your anchor text as “coffee maker” when it linked to a parenting content.
Make sure it is accurate as possible!
Choose the Correct Anchor Text Type
While there are various of anchor text types that mentioned up there, not all of them are SEO-friendly.
In fact, there are some anchor text types that are “poor” in front of the search engine eye’s.
Anchor text type to avoid:
- Generic Anchor Text: Anchor text like “Click here” or “Read More” are generally considered a poor SEO practice.
- Page Title Anchor Text: Generally, page title anchor text contains too lengthy text which is not the best practice as mentioned earlier.
Best anchor text practice:
- Partial Match Anchor Text: Partial match anchor text is the best SEO friendly anchor text since it is the most natural placement as compared to the other.
- Site Name Anchor Text: This is the best practice when you are citing some information from a credible research sites.
