Anchor text for SEO: types, official rules, and how to pick it
Anchor text is the clickable text of a link, and for SEO the rule is simple: Google's own documentation asks for descriptive, concise link text and lists keyword-optimized anchors in guest posts as an example of link spam. There is no official 'safe ratio' of anchor types. This guide covers the anchor types with examples, what Google and Yandex say, how to choose link text in a partner article, and how to see the anchors pointing to your site.
What anchor text is
Anchor text is the visible, clickable part of a link. In <a href="https://example.com/sourdough/">sourdough starter guide</a>, the anchor is "sourdough starter guide." Search engines read it as a short description of the page on the other end. Google says it plainly in its link best practices: anchor text helps people and Google make sense of the page you're linking to.
For image links there is no visible text, so Google uses the image's alt attribute as the anchor. An image link with an empty alt has, in effect, no anchor at all.
The main types of anchor text
All examples below are illustrative, built around a made-up baking blog at example.com.
| Type | Example | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Branded | "Example Bakes" | Mentioning the site or company by name; the most natural option in reviews and roundups |
| Naked URL | "example.com/sourdough" | Citations, source lists, footnotes |
| Generic | "here," "read more," "this site" | Rarely the best choice; both Google and Yandex advise against it |
| Descriptive | "a step-by-step sourdough starter guide" | Most in-text links: tells the reader exactly what they'll get |
| Exact-match keyword | "best sourdough starter" | Natural only when the phrase genuinely fits the sentence; repeated across many sites it reads as an SEO link |
| Image link | alt = "sourdough starter in a glass jar" | Logos and banners; write a real alt text |
"Descriptive" and "exact-match" can look similar. The difference is intent: a descriptive anchor is written for the reader in that sentence; an exact-match anchor is the phrase someone wants to rank for, dropped in wherever possible.
What Google says about link text
Google's documentation on crawlable links boils down to a few practical points:
- Be descriptive. "Click here" or "read more" tells nothing about the destination.
- Be concise. An anchor that swallows a whole sentence is hard to read; trim it to the core subject.
- Mind the context. The words around the link help explain it, and chaining several links side by side robs each of that context.
- Don't stuff keywords. Google explicitly says keyword stuffing violates its spam policies and that if the anchor feels forced, it probably is.
Then there is the spam policies page itself. In the link spam section, Google lists "links with optimized anchor text in articles, guest posts, or press releases distributed on other sites" as an example of a link scheme, and keyword-rich links in forum signatures and widgets as others.
What Yandex says
Yandex's Webmaster recommendations on links point the same way. Link text should describe your site rather than say "here," "there," or "this site," and Yandex suggests asking partners to rewrite such links to carry meaning. The same page says paid links, especially from exchanges aimed at search engines rather than visitors, interfere with how Yandex judges a site's trustworthiness, and it recommends rel="sponsored" for advertising and partner links.
Why over-optimized anchors look like SEO links
Think about how people link when nobody asks them to. They use your brand name, your URL, a page title, or a phrase that fits their sentence: "this guide by Example Bakes," "their starter tutorial," "example.com." A natural set of links pointing to one site is messy and varied.
Now picture 30 articles on 30 different sites, all linking with the identical commercial phrase "buy sourdough starter online" (an illustrative scenario). No group of independent writers phrases things that way. That uniformity is exactly the pattern Google's spam policy describes, which is why exact-match anchors repeated across guest posts are a red flag rather than a "boost."
So what about the "safe anchor ratios" you see in other guides, like a fixed percentage of branded vs. keyword anchors? Neither Google nor Yandex publishes any such numbers. Those figures come from people's own observations, not from search engine documentation, and following a quota misses the point: the anchor should fit the sentence.
How to choose link text in a partner or guest article
Whether you're writing an article that mentions a partner or someone is writing about you, the same checklist works:
- Write the sentence first, link second. Make the sentence useful on its own, then pick the words in it that best describe the destination.
- Read only the anchor. Google's own tip: if the link text makes no sense on its own, make it more specific.
- Prefer brand and descriptive anchors. "Example Bakes' starter guide" or "a guide to feeding a sourdough starter" beats "best sourdough starter."
- One link where it helps the reader. Don't add links just to have more of them.
- Label it honestly. If the article is paid or part of an exchange, the link gets
rel="sponsored". Our guide to nofollow, sponsored, and ugc explains which attribute goes where. - Don't dictate the exact phrase to the author. Asking every partner to use the same keyword is how you end up with the uniform pattern described above.
For the article itself, see how to write a sponsored article.
Before and after (illustrative)
| Weak | Better | Why |
|---|---|---|
| "For more info, click here." | "Example Bakes has a day-by-day starter feeding schedule." | Says what the reader gets |
| "Get the best sourdough starter cheap online." | "We tested the starter kit from Example Bakes." | Brand anchor, no keyword stuffing |
| "This amazing step-by-step guide to making sourdough bread at home for beginners." | "This beginner sourdough guide covers it step by step." | Concise, context does the rest |
Internal links: the anchors you fully control
Anchor text matters just as much inside your own site, and here you decide every word. Google recommends that every important page has at least one link from another page on the site, with descriptive anchors in context. On a small blog, that usually means linking related posts to each other from the body, not just from a "Related posts" widget. Our notes on SEO for niche blogs cover how to structure that.
What if you find anchors you don't like
Most sites eventually find a few odd anchors pointing at them: a scraper that copied an article, a directory you never submitted to, a forum signature in a language you don't speak. A few steps, in order of effort:
- Generic anchors from real partners. If a genuine site links to you with "here," it's fine to ask politely for a more descriptive phrase. Yandex suggests exactly that. Don't push for a keyword.
- Anchors you asked for earlier. If you once asked partners for the same commercial phrase, ask them to switch to your brand name or a descriptive phrase and to label paid links
rel="sponsored". - Spam you never asked for. Usually leave it alone. Google's disavow help page says most sites will not need the tool; it's meant for many artificial links that have caused or are likely to cause a manual action, after you've tried to get them removed.
If you're unsure whether swapping articles with other sites crosses a line, our breakdown of whether link exchange is bad for SEO walks through the official wording.
How to see the anchors pointing to your site
- Google Search Console → Links. The "Top linking text" table shows the anchor text used in external links to your site. Google notes the report is a sample, not a full list, and tables are capped at 1,000 rows (Links report help).
- Yandex Webmaster. The report on broken inbound links shows the link text on the referring page for each entry (Yandex help).
- Third-party backlink tools. Free tiers show part of the picture; we compared them in free Ahrefs alternatives.
What to look for: does one commercial phrase dominate? Are there anchors in languages or topics unrelated to your site? The first suggests someone built links for you too eagerly; the second usually means spam links you didn't ask for.
What to do next
Open the "Top linking text" table in Search Console today and see what your link profile looks like. If you want new mentions without negotiating link text, the Satelo exchange works the natural way: the author of each partner article writes the link text for their own readers, and exchange links carry rel="sponsored". Satelo is a public beta with a small network. Before accepting any partner, you can check their site: you'll see its Quality Score with the evidence behind each number, mostly from open data, in 30 seconds.
FAQ
What is anchor text in SEO?
It is the visible, clickable text of a link. Search engines use it to understand what the linked page is about, so it should describe the destination.
What is a good anchor text ratio?
Neither Google nor Yandex publishes any ratio. Percentages in SEO guides are personal observations. Write anchors that fit the sentence and describe the page.
Are exact-match anchors bad?
Not in themselves. A single natural use is fine. Google's spam policies list optimized anchor text in guest posts and articles distributed on other sites as link spam.
Is 'click here' bad anchor text?
It is weak. Google and Yandex both recommend descriptive text, because 'click here' tells nothing about the destination.
How do I check the anchor text of my backlinks?
In Google Search Console, open Links and look at the 'Top linking text' table. It is a sample, not a complete list.
What anchor text should I use for internal links?
Descriptive, concise text in context, such as the topic of the target page. Make sure every important page has at least one internal link.
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