What is anchor text?
Anchor text is the visible, clickable words of a link, it tells both users and search engines what the linked page is about.
In plain English
Descriptive anchor text (“beginner's guide to keyword research”) is more useful than generic text (“click here”). But an unnatural pattern of exact-match keyword anchors pointing to your site can look manipulative and hurt you.
Why it matters for AI search
Clear anchor text helps AI crawlers understand relationships between pages and the topic of what you link to, strengthening the topical map they build of your site.
Frequently asked
Descriptive, natural phrases that include the target page's topic, helpful to readers first, keyword-stuffed never.
Yes, an over-optimised profile of exact-match keyword anchors from other sites can trigger spam filters. Keep it varied and natural.
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