A Content Writer’s Guide to Anchor Text Optimization

As a content writer, you’ll want your content to perform well in search engines, and mastering anchor text optimization is a crucial step toward achieving that aim. Well-crafted anchor text can improve your SEO rankings, keep your audience engaged, and drive more traffic to linked pages.

All of which is great, but what exactly is anchor text? In this guide, we’ll explore what it is, its different types, why it’s important, and best practices to help you create optimized anchor text in your content.

What Is Anchor Text in SEO?

In terms of search engine optimization (SEO), anchor text refers to the visible, clickable words in a hyperlink. It’s the text that you click on to navigate from one page to another.

Did you spot the anchor text in that opening sentence?

Here’s another example: in the phrase “check out our SEO tips,” the words “SEO tips” are the anchor text.

If you clicked on those links, you’ll have seen that the first took you to an explanation of SEO and the second took you to our post on how to write SEO-friendly blog posts – our SEO tips for content writers. If we had placed the second hyperlink on the words “check out” instead, you might have understood that you were going to be taken to a page about SEO tips, but a search engine would not. Anchor text not only guides users to the linked page but also helps search engines understand the context of the linked content. Remember that for later…

Well-optimized anchor text, therefore, can improve the visibility of a webpage in search engine results and enhance your audience’s experience by making navigation more intuitive.

Types of Anchor Text

To make the best use of anchor text for your SEO – to optimize it – you’ll need to understand its different types. Here are the most common categories:

Exact Match

Exact match anchor text is where the anchor text exactly matches the keyword that the linked page is targeting.

For example, the anchor text how to make espresso will take you to a page about… how to make espresso.

Partial Match

Partial match anchor text includes the target page’s keyword, or part of it, along with other words.

For example, the anchor text you can make espresso at home will take you to the same page about how to make espresso.

Related

Related match anchor text is similar to partial match. But instead of using any of the words in the target page’s keyword, it uses – you guessed it – related words.

For example, the anchor text cheap alternatives to takeout coffee will still take you to the page about how to make espresso.

Branded

Branded anchor text uses a brand name as the link, usually to take you to the home page for that company.

For example, the branded anchor text in “If you’re concerned about your caffeine intake, you could look for advice from the NHS” will take you to the NHS’s home page.

Generic

Generic anchor text uses nondescriptive text such as “click here,” “learn more,” or “read more.” This type provides little context for search engines but can be useful if you’re struggling to find a suitable part of the text to use as your anchor.

For example, the generic anchor text in “If you’re ready to dive in and explore more of what we have to offer, click here” will provide a clear direction in your call to action.

Naked

Nothing saucy here; naked anchor text simply uses the full URL for the target page as the anchor text.

For example, “Visit us at https://knowadays.com/.”

Title

Title anchor text uses the exact title of the linked page or article as the anchor text. This might sound like exact match anchor text, but we typically use title anchor text to refer to cases where it is clear from the text that the link is to a specific article.

For example, the anchor text in “For more on this subject, check out our post on A Content Writer’s Guide to Internal Linking” will take you to our post with that title. 

Image

How can we include images in an article about anchor text? When an image is hyperlinked, search engines consider the image’s alt text (text that describes the image) as the anchor text.

Why Is Anchor Text Important?

Anchor text plays a crucial role in both SEO and user experience. Here’s how it does that:

Enhances SEO

If the search engine can understand what your site is about, it’s more likely to include it within search results.

Optimized anchor text helps search engines understand the relevance of the linked external content and, when used for internal links, helps the search engine understand what your site is about. 

Improves User Experience

Your audience is more likely to click on links when they know what to expect, and this can increase the time they spend on your site.

Well-crafted anchor text enhances user experience by providing clear, descriptive information about where a link will lead.

Builds Authority

Linking to high-quality external sources with descriptive anchor text shows readers and search engines alike that your content is well-researched and trustworthy.

Using relevant and authoritative anchor text helps build credibility for your content.

5 Anchor Text Best Practices

To make the most of anchor text in your content, follow our top five tips:

1. Use Descriptive Anchor Text

There should be no surprises when you follow a link, so make sure you clearly describe what your audience – and the search engine – can expect to find on the other end.

Therefore, it’s best to use exact match, partial match, or related anchor text, which we described above.

2. Keep It Natural

While it’s important to incorporate keywords in your anchor text, avoid keyword stuffing.

Anchor text should make sense within the content and not disrupt the flow. If it sounds forced, rephrase it. This is where partial match and related anchor text will come in useful.

3. Diversify Your Anchor Text

Using the same anchor text repeatedly, particularly if each instance links to the same page on your own site, can raise red flags with search engines. Your audience, too, will likely either get bored or question your motives.

Diversify your anchor text by using a mix of the different types we discussed above. This not only looks more natural, which will help with tip two, but also helps target a broader range of related keywords.

4. Prioritize Relevance

Only place links on words or phrases that are relevant to the content of the linked page.

We discussed above how anchor text is used to help visitors navigate your site and build your authority and credibility. On the flip side, irrelevant links can confuse your audience and may lead to a higher bounce rate.

5. Make Anchor Text Stand Out Visually

Ensure that your anchor text is easy to identify as a link by using a distinct color, underlining, bold font, or a combination of those styles.

Your audience should be able to distinguish hyperlinks from regular text at a glance. Earlier in this blog post, when we asked if you spotted our anchor text, it would have been obvious from its underlining.

If you make your content easy to navigate in this way, you will encourage your audience to engage with it. This is particularly important in your call to action, where an easy-to-spot link will draw your audience’s attention to the next step.

Becoming A Freelance Writer

With your new understanding of the different types of anchor text and how to use them, you can create content that not only ranks higher in searches but also engages your readers more effectively.

We have a whole module on SEO in our Becoming A Freelance Writer course, alongside other skills to set up or enhance your content writing career. Not sure if it’s for you? You can try two lessons for free.