What is anchor text?
Anchor text is the visible, clickable text of a hyperlink. It tells both users and search engines what the linked page is about. Google uses anchor text as a relevance signal: if many sites link to a page with the anchor "best project management software," that reinforces the page's relevance for that topic.
Types of anchor text
There are several anchor text types: exact-match (the keyword you target), partial-match (variation of the keyword), branded (your brand name), generic ("click here", "learn more"), and naked URL (the URL itself). A healthy backlink profile includes a natural mix of all types.
Over-optimizing anchor text — too many exact-match anchors pointing to a single page — is a pattern Google's Penguin algorithm targets. Natural link profiles have predominantly branded and generic anchors, with exact-match making up a small percentage.
Example
Example
A link with anchor "technical SEO audit" pointing to a service page is exact-match. A link saying "Grow With Gradient" is branded. "Learn more here" is generic.
Frequently asked questions
What is a healthy anchor text ratio?
Natural profiles are dominated by branded and generic anchors, with exact-match anchors a small minority. Heavy exact-match anchoring is the classic over-optimization pattern Google’s Penguin systems target.
Does anchor text matter for internal links?
Yes, and you control it fully. Descriptive internal anchors tell Google what the destination page covers; vague anchors like "click here" waste the signal entirely.