The anchor text (also known as link text) is the clickable text of a hyperlink that is integrated into a website. An anchor text is usually highlighted and if you click on it, you will be forwarded to the target URL. The target URL and the anchor text are shown separately and the reader only sees the selected anchor text on the website, and not the URL.
The URL and anchor text are integrated into the source code like this:
<a href=‘www.anexamplewebsite.com’>anchor text</a>
In this example, the website visitor would only see the term ‘anchor text’.
In the field of SEO you distinguish between:
- branded anchor text (brand or target domain in the name)
- money anchor text (contains a money keyword)
- compound anchor text (combination of money keyword and brand)
- non-money-non-branded anchor text (doesn’t contain a brand, a company name, or money keywords. Many of these word combinations come across as more natural than money or compound anchor texts, which can seem more like advertisements. Examples: ‘read more information here’ or ‘click here’)