What are anchor texts?

What Are Anchor Texts and How Do They Affect SEO?

Anchor texts are clickable text within a hyperlink. Earlier HTML specifications used the term “anchor”; today, the element is commonly known as a. There are three types of anchor texts: Dofollow, Exact match, and Naked. Let’s examine each of these and how they affect SEO. Here are a few examples:


Regardless of your goal for creating links, a do-follow anchor text is a must-have. If you want your links to pass link juice, a dofollow link must contain your targeted keyword. You can check whether a link is dofollow or nofollow by using a browser extension. Try GrowthBar, BuzzSumo, MozBar, or Mangools. These extensions show you information about link types, including their popularity and Alexa rank.

For best results, follow anchor texts that are exact matches to the target page. However, you can also use a partial match, which will use the target page’s keywords. Lastly, make sure that you do not manipulate your anchor text to gain more ranking points. This is against Google guidelines. In other words, do not try to manipulate the anchor text or use it for any other purpose. Instead, use the text you are most comfortable with.


In general, the best way to increase your website’s search engine ranking is to include branded anchor texts. When you link to a brand name, you increase the likelihood of getting the desired results, but you should also take care to choose a domain that has a large audience to attract new visitors. However, the use of branded anchor texts is not recommended for all sites. In fact, Google will penalize websites that attempt to use exact match keywords. Branded anchor texts should only be used on top-level pages because link juice is passed to Google from trusted sources.

Anchor text is the content that appears in a hyperlink. It tells the search engine algorithms what your website is all about, ensuring that the site will appear higher on the SERPs and will be more useful for site visitors. High-quality anchor texts are vital to your SEO strategy because they have a direct correlation with higher rankings from authoritative websites and higher click-through and conversion rates. In addition, anchor texts help users navigate your website by letting them know which links lead to the product or service you’re trying to promote.

Exact match

When it comes to SEO, using the right anchor text can make or break your search engine rankings. Although exact match anchor texts are important, they should never be used too often. Instead, use a mixture of different types of anchor texts, preferably between 25 and 50 percent of the total. Partial and branded anchor texts will also help with brand recognition. This type of anchor text should not be overused because it could backfire.

If you’re not sure which one to use, here are a few examples. Exact match keywords are the same as the query the user is typing in, while partial match anchor texts don’t include all of the words in the targeted query. Partial match anchor texts can also be used for brand queries, like “buy shoes online”. A branded anchor text, on the other hand, is the brand name itself. This type of anchor text is typically used on the homepage.


Naked anchor texts are links that don’t contain keyword-rich text. They are the most common type of link. But the downside of using them is that they make your text look bad, and your URLs will be unreadable. If you want to use naked anchors, however, you should be careful with your choices. Use them sparingly and use phrases or exact matches. Naked anchors are a waste of your precious space and time.

LSI keywords, or related keywords, can help you diversify your anchor text profile and make it more natural. For example, if your brand name is “Web MD,” you could use the keyword “Paleo Diet” as the anchor text. This way, you’d be giving users a concrete call-to-action (CTA).

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