Anchor Text Dos and Don’ts

What anchor text is

Anchor text is the clickable text in a link. It tells users what to expect when they click, and tells search engines what the linked page is about.

Good anchor text is descriptive and natural.

What good anchor text looks like

Effective anchor text describes the destination page clearly, fits naturally into the sentence, and uses plain language.

For example:

• Poor: “Click here”
• Poor: “Learn more”
• Good: “How to write effective title tags”

The goal is clarity, not optimisation.

Avoid over-optimisation

Anchor text doesn’t need to match a keyword exactly, be repeated word-for-word across pages, or include every variation of a phrase.

Using the same anchor text repeatedly can feel unnatural, reduce clarity, and look manipulative. Variation is normal and healthy.

Avoid vague anchors

Anchors like “Read more”, “This page”, or “Here” don’t provide useful context on their own.

If someone skimmed only the links on a page, they should still make sense.

A simple anchor text test

If I only saw this link text, would I know where it goes?

If yes, your anchor text is doing its job.