Full definition
Anchor text is the clickable words that form a hyperlink. Search engines use anchor text as a signal about the content of the linked page — if many sites link to a page using the anchor text 'best running shoes', that signals the linked page is relevant to that topic. Exact-match anchor text (using a target keyword verbatim) can improve rankings but risks over-optimisation penalties if used excessively. Natural anchor text profiles include branded anchors, partial-match anchors, generic anchors ('click here'), and URL anchors. Internal linking anchor text is particularly important for signalling relevance within your own site.
Real-world example
A blog post about SEO agencies links to Omakaase's SEO service page using the anchor text 'SEO agency London' — an exact-match anchor that reinforces the target keyword.
Related terms
A link from one website pointing to another, used by search engines as a vote of authority and relevance.
Read definitionA third-party metric (developed by Moz) that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search results, scored 1–100.
Read definitionThe practice of overloading a webpage with keywords in an attempt to manipulate search rankings — a black-hat technique penalised by Google.
Read definitionA comprehensive page covering a broad topic in depth, linking to related cluster content as part of a topic cluster strategy.
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