# Anchor text

Category: [On-Page & Content](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/on-page-content/) › [Internal linking, structure & UX](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/on-page-content/internal-linking-structure-ux/) · Also known as: link text, anchor

**Anchor text** (link text) is the visible, clickable text of a link. According to Google, it tells users and search engines what the linked page is about.

## What does Google recommend for anchor text?

Anchor text sits between the `<a>` tags of a link. Google can only crawl a link that is an `<a>` element with an `href` attribute. Its guidance asks for text that is descriptive and concise, and warns against generic wording such as "click here" or "read more", very long anchor text, and keyword stuffing. For linked images, the alt text of the image serves as the anchor text.

Google's SEO Starter Guide adds that the text tells users and Google something about the page being linked to, and it applies this to internal links too.

## Which types of anchor text exist?

SEO publications such as Yoast and Ahrefs commonly distinguish these types. The classification comes from the industry, not from Google.

- **Branded:** the name of a company or site
- **Exact or partial match:** the target keyword or a variation of it
- **Generic:** "here", "learn more"
- **Naked URL:** the address itself
- **Image link:** the image's alt text

For external links, Google's documentation recommends the `rel` values `nofollow`, `sponsored` and `ugc` where they apply, for example for paid placements.

## Example

```html
<a href="/glossary/canonical-tag/">canonical tag explained</a>
```

Weaker would be `<a href="/glossary/canonical-tag/">here</a>`, because it tells neither readers nor screen readers where it leads.

## Common mistakes

- "Click here" as the only link text
- Whole sentences as anchor text
- The same anchor text pointing to different pages
- Linked images without alt text

## FAQ

**What is meant by anchor text?**
The visible text of a hyperlink.

**What is the difference between anchor text and a hyperlink?**
The hyperlink is the whole link, including its destination. The anchor text is its visible, clickable text.

**How long should anchor text be?**
Google gives no length. It should be short and tell readers what to expect.

## Related terms

- [Alt text](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/alt-text/index.md)
- [Anchor element](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/anchor-element/index.md)
- [Internal linking](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/internal-linking/index.md)
- [nofollow](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/nofollow/index.md)
- [Link attributes](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/link-attributes/index.md)

## Sources

- [SEO link best practices (crawlable links, anchor text) – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlable)
- [SEO Starter Guide – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide)
- [Qualify your outbound links – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/qualify-outbound-links)
- [What is anchor text – Yoast (secondary)](https://yoast.com/what-is-anchor-text/)
- [Anchor text – Ahrefs (secondary)](https://ahrefs.com/blog/anchor-text/)

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Last updated: October 7, 2026
URL: https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/anchor-text/