# Anchor text Anchor text is the visible, clickable text of a link. Search engines use it as a description of the linked page. You can fully control your internal anchors, and you should. Updated 2026-09-14 · Source: https://porteur.ai/glossary/anchor-text ## What anchor text is and why it matters Anchor text is the visible, clickable text of a link. For an image link, the alt text is used as the anchor. It sets user expectation and gives search engines a hint about the target page. On a small site, the fastest wins come from your own internal links, because you control them. Bad anchors waste clicks. Good anchors increase clarity. A link that says “pricing” to /pricing beats “click here”. ## How search engines use anchor text Search engines use anchor text as a description of the linked page. It helps them understand topics and intent, alongside the page content. Internal anchors are under your control. Use them to reinforce what each page is about. External anchors are not under your control, so focus on earning relevant mentions, not wording asks. > Rule: write anchors that say what the target page is, not “click here” or “read more”. ## Writing good internal anchors - Match the page’s subject: link to /guides/getting-started with “getting started guide”, not “this post”. - Use natural phrases that fit the sentence. Avoid comma lists of links. - Vary wording when it is natural: “pricing”, “plans”, “cost”, all to /pricing across fitting contexts. - Keep anchors concise. Trim filler like “learn about”. - For image links, set a clear alt text, for example “email API pricing”, not “logo”. A fixed page reads like this: on /features you link to /pricing with “pricing”, link to /docs with “API docs”, and avoid stacking ten links in a row. ## How to check anchors on your site 1. **Review key templates** Scan your header, footer, nav, and sidebar. These repeat across pages. Rename vague items, for example change “Resources” dropdown items from “Read more” to the page subjects. 2. **Audit top pages** Open your top pages by traffic or value, for example /, /pricing, /blog. Skim each link. Replace “here”, “this page”, “more”, with the target topic. 3. **Check image links** Right click, inspect the . If a linked image has empty or generic alt text, set a descriptive alt that names the target page’s subject. 4. **Read external anchors** In Google Search Console, open the Links report and read Top linking text. This shows common external anchor phrases. You cannot edit them, but you can spot mismatches. Track changes in your own copy. When you rename anchors, re-crawl your site or re-read your templates to confirm they shipped. ## Traps and the Penguin history In 2012, Google’s Penguin update targeted manipulated link profiles. Many exact match anchors from paid or spammy links were a common pattern. - Do not stuff exact match keywords in anchors across many sites. - Do not buy links to force anchor wording. - Do not hide links in tiny text or boilerplate blocks. On your own site, be clear but not robotic. If five different paragraphs all say “email api pricing” word for word, you overdid it. Write for readers first. ## Questions ### How to check anchor text? For internal links, read your page copy, menus, and repeating components and change the words directly. For external links, open Google Search Console and read the Top linking text in the Links report. ### What is the difference between anchor text and a hyperlink? A hyperlink is the link itself, the HTML that points to another URL. Anchor text is the visible words inside that link that users click. ### What does “anchor” mean in a website? It is the text that anchors a link in the page, the part users click. On images, the alt text acts as the anchor if the image is the link. ### Should I use exact match keywords as anchors? Use the clearest natural phrase for the page. Exact match can be fine inside your own site when it fits the sentence. Avoid large scale exact match from paid or spammy sources. ### Does anchor text affect internal linking for SEO? Yes. Clear internal anchors reinforce what your pages are about and help search engines. They also set the right expectation for users, which helps clicks and conversions. ### What is an anchor text in reading class? That is a different subject. In literacy, “anchor chart” refers to classroom posters for text structures. In websites, anchor text is the clickable words of a link. ## Read next - [Internal linking for a small site: which pages link to which](https://porteur.ai/guides/internal-linking-for-seo): Decide which pages rank. Build hubs, write clear anchors, fix orphans, and crawl your site to map links you control. - [Internal link](https://porteur.ai/glossary/internal-link): An internal link is a link between two pages on the same site. Use them to show which pages matter, pass context with anchor text, and lift rankings. - [The Links report in Search Console: what it shows and what it hides](https://porteur.ai/guides/search-console-links-report): What Google’s Links report really shows, why counts differ from Ahrefs or Semrush, and two jobs it is good at on a small site. - [Backlink](https://porteur.ai/glossary/backlink): A backlink is a link from another site to yours. See what counts, how to check links, dofollow vs nofollow, and what a small site can expect. - [Alt text](https://porteur.ai/glossary/alt-text): Alt text is the image alt attribute. Write what the image shows, keep it brief, use empty alt for decoration, and avoid stuffing keywords. - [How to get backlinks for a small product site](https://porteur.ai/guides/how-to-get-backlinks-for-a-small-site): What to build, who to ask and how to measure. A founder’s plan to earn backlinks without spam or spend, with examples and a checklist. - [Listicle](https://porteur.ai/glossary/listicle): A listicle is an article built as a list. See why best-of pages matter for products, what a good one includes, how to measure it, and what to avoid. - [Anchor text: what you control, what you do not, and what to do about it](https://porteur.ai/guides/anchor-text-strategy): Internal anchors are yours to write and most sites waste them. External anchors are not yours at all. What to do about each, and the pattern to avoid. Want quick, specific fixes for your links and pages? Paste your URL to get a free check that reads your site, nearby searches and rivals in about thirty seconds. Free check: https://porteur.ai/