Anchor text

Why anchor text matters for SEO

Search engines use anchor text as a ranking signal. When you link to a page with the text "website performance optimisation", search engines understand that page relates to performance optimisation. Descriptive anchor text passes more relevance and authority than generic phrases.

This applies to both internal links within your site and backlinks from other domains. When reputable sites link to you with relevant anchor text, it strengthens your rankings for those topics.

Writing natural anchor text

The best anchor text uses natural, varied language that describes the destination. "Read our guide to Core Web Vitals" is better than "click here" or forced keyword phrases like "best web vitals optimisation service UK".

Generic phrases like "click here", "learn more", or "read this" waste an opportunity to signal relevance. They also fail accessibility tests—screen reader users navigating by links hear only the anchor text without surrounding context.

Avoiding over-optimisation

Exact-match keyword anchor text from every backlink looks manipulative. If 50 external links all use "London web design agency" as anchor text, search engines suspect artificial link building.

Natural link profiles mix branded anchors (your company name), descriptive phrases, generic text, and naked URLs. Vary your internal linking anchor text too—link to the same page using different relevant phrases throughout your site.

Internal linking best practices

We build internal link strategies into every site, using anchor text that reinforces each page's topic while reading naturally. This distributes link equity, helps search engines understand site structure, and guides visitors to related content.

Think about anchor text from the user's perspective: does it accurately describe where they're going? If someone hears this phrase out of context, would they understand the destination? That's the standard for good anchor text.