Anchor Text
What is Anchor Text? Why is it important for SEO?
Anchor textare clickable words that appear in a hyperlink. It is the text that users see and click to go from one web page to another, which can be within the same website (internal link) or to a different website (external link).
From an SEO perspective, link texts are important because they help search engines understand what the linked page is about. When used correctly, they can improve a site's relevance and ranking for specific keywords.
Example:
Imagine writing a blog post about website performance and adding a link like this: 👉 “Learn more about page speed optimization.”
Here, “page speed optimization” is the link text. When clicked, it can take the user to another page dedicated to this topic.
Types of Link Text:
- Full Match: Uses the target keyword in full (e.g. SEO tools linking the term to a page about SEO tools).
- Partial Match: Contains the keyword along with other words (e.g. Best SEO Tools for Beginners).
- Branded: Includes the brand name (e.g. Visit Glawi's SEO guide).
- General: It uses general terms (e.g. click here, Learn more).
- Naked URLs: The URL itself is used as the link text (e.g. www.ornek.com).
Best Practices:
- Reflecting the content of the target page descriptive and relevant link text use it.
- Over-repeating the same keyword rich link text avoid excessive optimization.
- Stay away from vague phrases like “click here” when SEO value is important.
Link text improves both the user experience (by showing what to expect when clicked) and the search engines' understanding of your site's structure and content relevance.
