Anchor text
The anchor text or link text is the visible, clickable text in a hyperlink. The words contained in the text can be a factor in the ranking the page will receive by search engines.
Google Do
- Choose descriptive text. The anchor text you use for a link should provide at least a basic idea of what the page linked to is about.
- Write concise text. Aim for short but descriptive text-usually a few words or a short phrase.
- Format links so they're easy to spot. Make it easy for users to distinguish between regular text and the anchor text of your links. Your content becomes less useful if users miss the links or accidentally click them.
- Think about anchor text for internal links too. You may usually think about linking in terms of pointing to outside websites, but paying more attention to the anchor text used for internal links can help users and Google navigate your site better.
Does anchor text carry through 301 redirects?
Google Don't
- Writing generic anchor text like "page", "article", or "click here".
- Using text that is off-topic or has no relation to the content of the page linked to.
- Using the page's URL as the anchor text in most cases (although there are certainly legitimate uses of this, such as promoting or referencing a new website's address)
- Writing long anchor text, such as a lengthy sentence or short paragraph of text.
- Using excessively keyword-filled or lengthy anchor text just for search engines.
- Creating unnecessary links that don't help with the user's navigation of the site.