Anchor Text

Definition

Anchor Text refers to the clickable words used to link one web page to another, usually highlighted or underlined to stand out from the rest of the text. In HTML, the anchor text is enclosed by anchor tags (<a> and </a>) which defines the start and end of the hyperlink, while the ‘href’ attribute specifies the destination URL.

Anchor Text Relevance For SEO

Anchor text plays an important role in SEO as it provides context for search engines about the page being linked to. The words and phrases used in anchor text can signal to search engines the topic and relevance of the destination page. Using descriptive and relevant anchor text, rather than generic terms like “click here”, helps search engines understand the content on a deeper level.

Optimizing anchor text, when done properly, can improve rankings. However, over-optimizing anchor text by stuffing keywords can get sites penalized. The focus should be on crafting anchor text for users that also works well for SEO.

Brief Anchor Text History and Evolution

In the early days of the web, anchor text was used mainly for usability, to show users there was more content if they clicked. As search engines evolved they started analyzing anchor text to gauge the relevance of linked pages.

Initially anchor text was heavily optimized and manipulated by webmasters to try and game search rankings. As search algorithms advanced, the focus shifted towards crafting anchor text for users rather than just targeting keywords. Now anchor text is viewed as one natural signal among many used to determine relevance.

Anchor Text Best Practices for SEO

• Descriptive anchor text: Use phrases and terminology relevant to the content being linked to, not generic terms. Helps search engines understand the topic of the destination page.
• Context: Anchor text should flow naturally in the context of the surrounding content. Abrupt or out of place anchor text can seem manipulative.
• Variety: Having some variation in anchor text to the same page is normal and natural. An over optimization of one exact anchor text phrase may get flagged.
• Internal linking: Use descriptive anchor text when linking internally between pages on your site. This helps search engines better crawl and categorize content.
• External sites: Try to use natural anchor text when linking out to external sites from your content. Avoid manipulating anchor text solely to try and influence rankings.