What is Anchor text in SEO?

In SEO (Search Engine Optimization), anchor text refers to the clickable text within a hyperlink. It is the visible, underlined, or differently formatted text that users click on to navigate to another web page. Anchor text is important for both user experience and search engine rankings.

Anchor text types in SEO

In SEO, there are various types of anchor text that are commonly used. It's beneficial to have a diverse and natural anchor text profile to improve search engine rankings and maintain a healthy link profile. Here are some anchor text types commonly used in SEO:

Exact Match:

This type of anchor text includes the exact keyword or key phrase that you want to rank for. The exact match anchor text, for instance, would be "best SEO tools" if you wanted to rank for "best SEO tools."

Partial Match:

Partial match anchor text includes a variation or partial keyword match. It contains some of the target keywords but not the exact phrase. For example, "top SEO tools" or "best tools for SEO" could be partial match anchor text for the target keyword "best SEO tools."

Branded:

Branded anchor text includes the name of a specific brand or company. For example, if the brand is "ABC Corporation," the branded anchor text could be "ABC Corporation" or "ABC Corp."

Naked URL:

Naked URL anchor text consists of the URL of the linked page without any specific anchor text. An example of a plain URL anchor text would be "https://www.example.com."

Generic:

Generic anchor text uses non-descriptive or generic phrases such as "click here," "read more," or "learn more." While these may not provide much context for search engines, they can still be useful for user experience in certain cases.

Image:

When an image is linked, the alt text associated with the image serves as the anchor text. Alt text provides a description of the image content and helps search engines understand the context of the linked page.

LSI Keywords:

Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) keywords are terms and phrases that are related to the target keyword and have a semantic connection to them. Using LSI keywords in anchor text provides additional context and relevance. For example, if the target keyword is "healthy recipes," LSI anchor text could include terms like "nutritious meals" or "cooking for wellness."

It's important to maintain a balanced and varied anchor text profile. Overusing exact match anchor text or using manipulative anchor text practices (like keyword stuffing) can raise red flags to search engines and potentially lead to penalties. A natural anchor text distribution that reflects the content and context of the linked page is key to SEO success.