When optimizing a website for search engines, one of the most important factors to consider is the anchor text. So, what is anchor text in SEO?

Anchor text is the clickable text that links one webpage to another, and it plays a vital role in how search engines determine the relevance of a website. There are different types of anchor text, each impacting SEO.

Here are the different types of anchor texts:

1. Exact match anchor text

Exact match anchor text is when the anchor text exactly matches the keyword that you’re trying to rank for. So, for example, if you’re trying to rank for the keyword “red shoes,” your anchor text would be “red shoes.”

Exact match anchor text is highly effective in improving search engine rankings because it tells search engines exactly what the linked-to website is about. However, it can also be considered spammy if used too excessively, so it’s essential to use it in moderation.

2. Partial match anchor text

This type of anchor text includes keywords related to the page you’re linking to but doesn’t precisely match the focus keyword of that page. For example, if you were linking to a page about red wine, a partial match anchor text might be “types of red wine” or “best red wines.”

While partial match anchor text isn’t as powerful as an exact match or phrase match, it can still be a valuable part of your SEO strategy. This is because partial match anchor text helps to show search engines that your site is relevant for a particular topic.

3. Branded anchor text

Branded anchor text is when the anchor text includes the name and essence of your brand. For example, if you’re linking to your website, your anchor text could be “Acme Corp.”

Branded anchor text is an excellent way to improve search engine rankings, and it’s also considered more natural and less spammy than exact or partial match anchor text.

4. Naked link anchor text

This is the most basic form of anchor text and is simply a URL or hyperlinked piece of text without any accompanying keywords or phrases. While this type of anchor text won’t help your SEO efforts very much, it’s still essential to use for things like navigation links within your website.

5. Generic anchor text

Generic anchor text is a broad term used to describe anchor text that doesn’t target any particular keyword or phrase. In most cases, generic anchor text is simply the URL of the page linked to or the website’s name.

While generic anchor text doesn’t directly impact SEO, it’s still important to use keywords and phrases in your anchor text whenever possible. Doing so will help your website rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) for those keywords and phrases.

6. Image anchor text

Image anchor text is the text associated with an image that’s been hyperlinked. In most cases, image anchor text is simply the image’s alt tag.

While image anchor text doesn’t directly impact SEO, it’s still important to use keywords and phrases in your image alt tags whenever possible. This will help your website rank higher in SERPs for those keywords and phrases.

Anchor text is an essential factor when optimizing a website for search engines. However, the type of anchor text you use can impact your SEO differently.