What is anchor text
Anchor text is the visible, clickable text of a hyperlink. In HTML, it appears between the <a> tags:
<a href="/seo-audit">Полная SEO проверка сайта</a>
<!-- Якорный текст: "Полная SEO проверка сайта" -->Search engines analyze anchor text to determine the topic of the page the link points to.
Types of anchor text
| Type | Example | SEO value |
|---|---|---|
| Exact match | “buy a laptop” | High, but carries a risk of over-optimization |
| Partial match | “buy an Apple laptop online” | Good |
| Branded | “TechStore,” “reChecker” | Natural profile |
| Generic | “here,” “click,” “learn more” | Low SEO value |
| Naked URL | “https://example.com» | Neutral |
| Unanchored | Image without alt text | Minimal |
How anchor text affects SEO
For incoming links (backlinks)
When another site links to you with the text “best SEO tool,” Google understands that your page is relevant to the query “best SEO tool” and may rank it higher.
For internal links
The anchor text of internal links helps Google understand the site structure and the topic of linked pages.
Anchor over-optimization: risk of penalties
An unnatural anchor text profile (90% exact match) is a sign of link profile manipulation. The Google Penguin algorithm penalizes this.
A healthy link profile:
- 40-50% branded and URL anchors
- 20-30% partial keyword matches
- 15-20% exact keyword matches
- 10-15% generic anchors (here, learn more, etc.)
Best practices for internal links
<!-- Плохо: неинформативный анкор -->
<p>Узнайте больше о SEO-аудите <a href="/audit">здесь</a>.</p>
<!-- Хорошо: описательный анкор с ключевым словом -->
<p>Используйте наш <a href="/audit">полный SEO-аудит сайта</a> для проверки.</p>
<!-- Хорошо: естественный контекстный анкор -->
<p>Для проверки редиректов воспользуйтесь
<a href="/services/redirects">анализатором редиректов</a>.</p>Analyzing competitors’ anchor text
Analyzing the anchors in competitors’ backlink profiles helps you understand:
- Which keywords competitors get links for
- How diversified their profile is
- Which anchors to use in your strategy
Checking links with reChecker
Use the Link Analyzer to analyze links on your site. The tool shows:
- All links (internal and external)
- The anchor text of each link
- Attributes (nofollow, sponsored)
- Broken links
FAQ
Should I optimize anchors on every page? For internal links, yes. Use descriptive anchors instead of “here” or “learn more.” This improves UX and SEO at the same time.
Do nofollow anchors affect SEO? PageRank is not passed directly through nofollow links, but Google may use nofollow links as a “hint” when determining a page’s topic.
Can I change anchors in articles that have already been published? Yes, this is a common SEO optimization practice. Changing the anchors of internal links is safe. You cannot change the anchor text in existing external links—that is up to the other sites.