What is anchor text?

Anchor text is the visible, clickable text in a hyperlink that describes the linked page or resource. It is typically highlighted or underlined to indicate that it is a clickable link. Anchor text provides context and information about the linked page, helping users and search engines understand the relevance and content of the linked page.

For example, in the sentence "You can learn more about SEO from our comprehensive guide to search engine optimization," the anchor text is "comprehensive guide to search engine optimization." This anchor text describes the content of the linked page and helps users and search engines understand what they can expect to find when they click on the link.

Anchor text is an important factor in SEO because it can help search engines understand the content and relevance of the linked page. When high-quality websites link to a page using relevant and descriptive anchor text, it can signal to search engines that the page is valuable and relevant to that keyword or topic. This can improve the ranking of the page for that keyword or topic in search engine results pages (SERPs).

However, it's important to avoid over-optimizing anchor text, as this can result in a penalty from search engines. Over-optimization occurs when a website uses the same anchor text repeatedly or uses keyword-stuffed anchor text that doesn't provide value to users. Instead, it's recommended to use a variety of anchor text phrases that accurately describe the content of the linked page and provide value to users.