How to Choose the Right Anchor Text for Your Link
Choose anchor text that clearly describes the page you are linking to, fits naturally into the surrounding sentence, and gives readers useful context. Use relevant keywords when they fit, but avoid forcing exact-match phrases into every link.
Anchor text is the clickable text in a hyperlink that tells readers and search engines what the linked page is about.
Example:
In the sentence “learn more about link building techniques”, the words “link building techniques” are anchor text.
Good anchor text should be descriptive, reasonably concise, and relevant to both the page containing the link and the page it points to. Google specifically recommends descriptive anchor text because it helps users understand what to expect after clicking.
For example, if you are linking a page about guest posting, “guest posting guide” gives readers more context than “click more”.
Anchor text matters for SEO because it gives users and search engines context about the page being linked to. Google says useful anchor text can make links easier for people to navigate and help Google understand the linked content.
This does not mean every anchor should contain a target keyword. A keyword can be useful when it naturally describes the destination, but forcing keywords into links can make the content harder to read.
The main types of anchor text include branded, exact match, partial match, generic, naked URL, and descriptive phrase anchors.
| Type | Example |
| Branded | Linkpedia |
| Exact match | link building marketplace |
| Partial match | reliable link building marketplace |
| Generic | learn more |
| Naked URL | linkpedia.io |
| Descriptive phrase | place to buy high-quality backlinks |
Choose anchor text by matching it to the destination page, making it useful to the reader, fitting it naturally into the sentence, and avoiding unnecessary keyword repetition.
The anchor text should accurately describe the page it links to. Start by reviewing the destination page instead of starting with a keyword list.
If the destination explains backlink indexing, “backlink indexing” is a logical anchor. Using “SEO services” would be misleading if the page does not actually discuss those services.
This simple check also helps prevent links from creating the wrong expectation for readers.
The anchor should give readers enough information to understand why they might click it. Google recommends anchor text that provides context and sets a clear expectation about the linked page.
Compare these examples:
The second anchor gives the reader a clearer idea of what they will find.
Use keywords in anchor text when they genuinely fit the sentence and accurately describe the destination. Do not add keywords simply because they appear in a target keyword list.
Google’s link guidance specifically advises writing naturally and resisting the urge to cram every keyword related to the destination into anchor text.
If the exact keyword sounds awkward, a branded, partial-match, or descriptive anchor may communicate the same idea more naturally.
The surrounding words also contribute context, so the anchor should make sense as part of the complete sentence.
For example, if an article discusses different ways to acquire backlinks, “guest posting” can work naturally when the linked page explains that method.
You do not need to make the anchor carry every piece of information about the destination. The sentence around it can provide additional context.
Use different relevant anchor variations when they naturally fit different linking situations. There is no universal anchor text percentage that every website needs to follow.
Instead of trying to maintain an arbitrary ratio, review whether each anchor accurately describes the destination and makes sense in its specific context.
The goal is not to manufacture a particular anchor distribution. The goal is to make each link useful.
Review the destination URL, anchor wording, and surrounding sentence before publishing the link. Make sure the page still exists, the content matches the anchor, and the link adds value to the article.
This final check can catch mismatched pages, outdated destinations, irrelevant links, and keyword phrases that were inserted only because they appeared in a campaign brief.
The most common anchor text mistakes are using irrelevant wording, forcing keywords, repeating anchors unnecessarily, and linking to mismatched pages.
Avoid these practices:
Google recommends descriptive and concise anchor text and specifically warns against keyword stuffing in links.
The practical rule is simple: choose anchor text because it helps the reader understand the link, not simply because it contains a target keyword.
The right anchor text accurately describes the linked page, fits naturally into its surrounding content, and gives readers enough context to understand where the link leads.
For backlinks and guest posts, avoid treating anchor text as a fixed formula. Review the destination page, understand the surrounding article, and choose wording that makes the link useful in that specific context.
A strong anchor text strategy is therefore less about finding one “perfect” keyword and more about making every link clear, relevant, and natural.
The best anchor text accurately describes the linked page, fits naturally into surrounding content, and gives readers useful context without unnecessarily forcing an exact-match keyword.
No, anchor text does not always need keywords. Branded, descriptive, generic, and other natural phrases can work when they accurately describe the linked page.
Exact-match anchor text is not automatically bad, but optimized links used primarily to manipulate rankings can violate Google’s link spam policies in certain situations.
There is no universal number for using one anchor text. Choose wording based on relevance and context rather than following an arbitrary percentage or repetition limit.
