Anchor Text Best Practices for Internal and External Links
The words you choose for a link matter. Anchor text tells readers what they will find when they click and gives search engines context about the linked page. Here is how to use it well.
What Is Anchor Text?
Anchor text is the visible, clickable text of a hyperlink. In the sentence “Read our internal linking guide”, the anchor text is “internal linking guide”.
Types of Anchor Text
- Exact match: the target keyword exactly (“keyword research”).
- Partial match: includes the keyword with other words (“our beginner keyword research process”).
- Branded: a brand name (“Top Rank Changer”).
- Naked URL: the address itself (“toprankchanger.com”).
- Generic: “click here”, “read more”.
- Image links: the image’s alt text acts as anchor text.
Why Anchor Text Matters
Google uses anchor text as one of the clues to understand what a linked page is about. Descriptive anchors also improve accessibility: screen reader users often navigate by listing links, and “click here” repeated ten times tells them nothing.
Best Practices for Internal Links
- Describe the destination clearly and concisely.
- Using your target keyword in internal anchors is fine and helpful when it reads naturally.
- Vary wording across different linking pages.
- Make the surrounding sentence explain why the link is useful.
Best Practices for External Links
When linking out, use anchor text that describes the source, such as “Google’s documentation on canonical URLs”. It helps readers judge whether to click.
Backlinks and Over-Optimization
You don’t control most anchor text on other sites, and that’s fine. A natural backlink profile includes branded, generic and partial anchors. Large numbers of exact-match keyword anchors from other sites can look manipulative — a common sign of link schemes. See what are backlinks.
Common Mistakes
- Linking long sentences or entire paragraphs
- Using identical keyword anchors on every internal link
- Generic anchors that give no context
- Anchors that promise something the page doesn’t deliver
Final Thoughts
Good anchor text is simply good writing: short, clear and honest about where the link leads. Get that right and you help readers, accessibility and SEO at the same time.
