Anchor text
TL;DR
Anchor text is the visible, clickable text of a hyperlink — a strong ranking signal about the topic of the destination URL.
Anchor text — internal or external — tells search engines and AI engines what the destination is about. Variants: exact-match ('SEO Breda'), partial-match, branded, generic ('click here'), URL. A natural link profile mixes all forms.
Example
Bad: 'Click here for our services.' Better: 'View our SEO services for Bitcoin companies.' The anchor carries semantic meaning to the destination.
Frequently asked questions
Is exact-match anchor good or bad?
Used sparingly: good. Overrepresented: bad. Google's Penguin penalises sites with too many exact-match backlinks as link manipulation.
Related terms
Further reading
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