Anchor Text

Anchor text is the visible, clickable text in a hyperlink that tells users and search engines what to expect on the destination page. Instead of a bare URL like "www.voorbeeld.nl/pagina," you see a descriptive text like "read more about link building. For search engines like Google, anchor text is an important signal for understanding what a page is about and how relevant it is to specific search terms. For visitors, it acts as a signpost: clear anchor text increases the likelihood that they will click through because they know exactly what they are getting.

How anchor text works in HTML and for search engines

Technically put, a link consists of two parts: the URL (the href attribute) and the anchor text (the text between the a tags). In HTML, it looks like this: <a href="https://www.voorbeeld.nl/pagina">descriptive text</a>. Google uses the anchor text to gather context about the page you're linking to. If dozens of Web sites link to your page with the anchor text"WordPress security," Google interprets that as a strong signal that your page is about that topic. That mechanism makes anchor text one of the oldest and most powerful SEO factors. At the same time, it is a risk: overuse of exact keywords in anchor text can lead to a penalty from Google because it looks manipulative.

Why anchor text came into existence and why it still matters today

In the early years of the Web, hyperlinks were mostly technical: you often saw complete URLs or generic text such as "click here. When search engines emerged, they discovered that the text around a link provided valuable context. Google's PageRank algorithm used anchor text as a ranking factor from the beginning because it helped determine the relevance of a page without reading the content itself. Today, anchor text is still relevant, but the emphasis is on naturalness and diversity. Google recognizes patterns: if all incoming links have the exact same keyword-rich anchor text, the algorithm sees that as a red flag for link manipulation.

What anchor text brings to SMEs

For an SME, effective use of anchor text means three things. First, it improves discoverability: internal links with descriptive anchor text help Google understand which pages on your site are most important and what they’re about. This is especially useful for ecommerce stores with hundreds of product pages or service providers with many areas of expertise. Second, it improves the user experience: visitors are more likely to click through if they know what they’re getting. And third, it plays a role in link building: when other websites link to you with relevant anchor text, you build authority on those topics. In a well-thought-out SEO strategy, you combine internal and external anchor text to build topical authority without resorting to keyword stuffing. You can find more information about best practices in the Google Search Central documentation on crawlable links.

Anchor text plays a role in various situations, from internal navigation to external link building. Each application requires its own approach and balance between SEO value and user-friendliness. Below are four specific scenarios in which small and medium-sized businesses strategically use anchor text.

Internal link structure for better indexing

Within your own website, use anchor text to show Google which pages are important and how they are related. For example, an ecommerce store with 500 products can link from blog articles to product categories with anchor text such as "organic skin care" instead of "click here. That helps Google understand that that category page is relevant to that search term. In practice, we see that SME companies often link too generically ('read more', 'view our offer') or too forcibly ('best SEO agency Remote' as an internal link). The golden mean: use descriptive terms that fit naturally into the sentence and vary the wording. A good internal link structure ensures that important pages are linked more often with relevant anchor text, which can improve their ranking.

Guest posts and external link building

If you write a guest blog for an industry partner or are mentioned in a news article, the anchor text of the link to your site determines how Google interprets that backlink. A link with anchor text'Monkey Vision' reinforces your brand name, while 'web design agency Remote' signals that you are relevant for that search term. The risk: if all external links use the exact same commercial anchor text, Google recognizes that as an unnatural pattern. That's why a mix works best: brand links, URLs, generic terms ('this case') and the occasional descriptor. For a B2B service provider with 12 employees who actively publishes guest blogs, you often see that 60 percent brand-anchoring, 30 percent descriptive and 10 percent generic gives the best balance. That looks natural and avoids penalties.

Driving navigation and user behavior

Anchor text in menus, footers and call-to-action buttons drives not only search engines but also human behavior. A visitor reading "request free SEO scan" knows exactly what will happen when he clicks. That increases conversion compared to vague texts like 'more info'. The same applies to ecommerce stores: product links with anchor text 'durable yoga mat 6mm' perform better than 'view product' because the visitor already has an image. At the same time, be careful of anchor text that is too long: more than six words feels unnatural and disrupts readability. In our projects, we often test two variants via A/B testing to see which wording works best for the target audience.

When anchor text is the right choice and when it is not

Anchor text optimizing pays off especially if you are actively working on SEO and link building, or if you have a large website where internal navigation is crucial. For a sole proprietor with a simple five-page site, the impact is limited: there, the quality of the content and the technical basis count more heavily. Even in situations where you have no control over the anchor text, such as spontaneous mentions in the press or social media, you can't do much with it. Don't try to steer frenetically then, as it looks unnatural. Anchor text is not a panacea: it works as part of a broader SEO approach that brings together technology, content and authority. If you find yourself having to rewrite every sentence to get a keyword in the anchor text, you've gone too far.