Anchor Text Best Practices for Internal and External Links

Maybe you are not sure what words to put inside your links. Or you worry your anchors look too vague or too stuffed with keywords. The answer is simpler than most guides make it. Anchor text best practices come down to one idea from Google: the clickable words should tell people, and Google, what they will find on the other side. Write anchors that are descriptive, fairly short and relevant to both pages, and skip the keyword tricks.

In this guide I cover what Google’s own documentation says, the main types of anchor text, and how I treat internal and external links differently. I also explain where over-optimising turns into link spam, and how to audit the anchors you already have.

What Anchor Text Is

Anchor text is the visible, clickable text of a link. In HTML, it is whatever sits between the opening and closing <a> tags.

<a href="/garden-tools/pruning-shears/">pruning shears for small hands</a>

Here, “pruning shears for small hands” is the anchor text. A visitor reads it to decide whether to click. Google reads it as a short label that describes the page it points to.

That second point is why anchor text matters for SEO. Google uses links both to find pages and to understand what they are about. When dozens of pages describe a URL in similar words, that wording becomes a useful clue about the page’s topic. This works even before Google looks at the page itself.

Links Google Can Actually Read

Anchor text only counts if Google can spot the link. Google usually follows normal <a> elements with an href attribute that points to a real URL. Links made from a <span> with a click handler, or an href that uses javascript:, may be missed.

Links added with JavaScript are fine, as long as the final page still has a normal <a href> with text inside it. If a script adds your anchors, check the rendered HTML (the page as Google sees it after scripts run) in Search Console’s URL Inspection tool. Make sure the text is there.

What Google Says About Good Anchor Text

Google’s link best practices documentation is the most direct source on this. I’d read it before any third-party guide. Its advice is short and practical, and I group it into five rules.

1. Be Descriptive

Good anchor text gives a clear idea of what the linked page covers. Google’s own test is useful. Read the anchor on its own, out of context. If it still makes sense, it is descriptive enough. If it does not, rewrite it.

Generic phrases fail this test. “Click here”, “read more”, “this article” and “website” tell nobody where the link goes.

2. Keep It Fairly Short

Descriptive does not mean long. An anchor that covers a whole sentence, or runs to a dozen words, makes it harder to see what the link is about. Cut it down to the main subject, usually a few words.

3. Make It Relevant to Both Pages

The anchor should fit the sentence it sits in and match what the target page really offers. Linking the words “free shipping policy” to a product category page confuses readers. It also sends Google a mixed signal.

4. Do Not Stuff Keywords

Google says clearly that cramming keywords into links is keyword stuffing, which breaks its spam policies. Its suggested check is to ask: does a reader need those keywords to understand the next page? If the extra words are only there for search engines, cut them.

5. Mind the Context and Spacing

The words around a link also help explain it. So write the whole sentence well, not just the linked part. Don’t put several links side by side with nothing between them. Readers struggle to see where one ends and the next begins. And the nearby words that would explain each one disappear.

Never Leave a Link Empty

A link with no text gives Google nothing to work with. Google may fall back on the title attribute, but treat that as a safety net, not a plan. Icon-only buttons, empty image links and “hamburger” menu links without labels are the usual problems. When I audit a site, empty links are one of the first things I look for, because they are so easy to fix.

Types of Anchor Text

SEO people usually sort anchors into a few types. Google does not use these labels. But they are handy for describing a link profile (the full set of links pointing to a site) and spotting when something is out of balance.

A few notes on the less obvious ones.

• Exact match is not bad by itself. On your own site, linking “sourdough starter” to your sourdough starter guide is simply accurate. The risk comes when the same sales phrase appears in a large share of links from other sites. That rarely happens naturally.
• Partial match anchors include the main topic plus other words. They tend to read most naturally inside a sentence.
• Naked URLs are fine for citations. But a long URL with parameters says less than a short descriptive phrase.
• Image links have no visible text, so Google uses the image’s alt attribute as the anchor text. An image link with empty alt text is really an empty link.

For an image link, the alt text should describe the image and, where it makes sense, where the link goes:

<a href="/">
  <img src="/logo.svg" alt="Northfield Bakehouse home">
</a>

Internal vs External Anchor Text Strategy

You control your internal links completely. You only partly affect the links other sites give you. And you control the outbound links you place. Each needs a slightly different approach.

Internal Links: Be Clear and Consistent

Internal links are where anchor text work pays off most, because every choice is yours. If I had to pick one place to spend time, it would be here. Google says every page you care about should be linked from at least one other page on your site. It also encourages linking to related pages in context.

• Describe the target page plainly. If the page is about choosing Google Business Profile categories, an anchor like “how to choose your primary category” beats “this guide”.
• Exact and partial matches are normal here. Internal anchors that use the topic of the target page are what Google’s advice asks for. You do not need to invent variety just for the sake of it.
• Vary naturally across pages. Different articles will describe the same page in slightly different words, because the sentences differ. That is healthy. Forcing one identical phrase into every link tends to read awkwardly.
• Don’t send one anchor to several pages. If “local SEO checklist” links to three different URLs across your site, Google and readers cannot tell which page owns that topic.
• Keep menu labels short. Menus and footers need brief labels such as “Pricing” or “Contact”. That is fine. The descriptive work happens in the body text.

Internal links also need a plan. Don’t leave them to chance. If you are mapping out content for the year, our practical 2026 SEO roadmap for small businesses covers where internal linking fits next to content and technical work.

There is no perfect number of links per page. Google’s own view is that if a page feels like it has too many links, it probably does. I link where it helps the reader take a useful next step, and nowhere else.

External Links You Place: Give Context, Label Where Needed

Linking out to helpful sources builds trust with readers. The same anchor rules apply: tell people what they will find. “Google’s spam policies on link schemes” is far more useful than “here”.

Use rel attributes (small labels that tell Google what kind of link it is) correctly when a link needs one:

• rel="sponsored" (or nofollow) for paid, affiliate or sponsored links.
• rel="ugc" (or nofollow) for links users add, such as forum posts and comments.
• rel="nofollow" when you do not want to vouch for a site, for example when you mention something as a bad example.

Google advises against adding nofollow to every outbound link by default. Leave editorial links to sources you trust as normal links. For more on how link-level and page-level instructions differ, see our explainer on robots meta tags, nofollow and X-Robots-Tag.

Backlinks From Other Sites: Let Them Be Natural

When other sites link to you because they find your content useful, they choose their own words. That usually gives a mix of brand names, URLs, page titles and descriptive phrases. That natural mix is exactly what you want.

Sometimes you have a fair say, such as a partner listing your company or a journalist asking how to describe your research. Then suggest your brand name or an accurate description of the page. Do not ask for a specific money keyword.

Over-Optimisation and Google’s Link Spam Policy

Anchor text became a target for tricks because it carries meaning. Google’s spam policies define link spam as creating links to or from a site mainly to manipulate search rankings. Several of the examples listed involve anchor text directly:

• Links with optimised anchor text in articles, guest posts or press releases spread on other sites.
• Keyword-rich, hidden or low-quality links built into widgets that are spread across many sites.
• Widely spread links in the footers or templates of various sites.
• Forum comments with optimised links in the post or signature.
• Buying or selling links that pass ranking credit, including trading goods or services for links.

The common thread is intent. A single exact-match link from a relevant article is not a problem. A pattern of keyword anchors that you paid for, placed yourself or traded for is.

Signs Your Anchor Profile Looks Manipulated

• A large share of backlinks use the same sales phrase, such as “cheap car insurance”, while few mention your brand.
• Keyword anchors appear mostly on guest posts, press release sites or directories, not on real editorial pages.
• The same keyword anchor appears in footers or sidebars across many unrelated sites.
• Anchors are in a different language or topic from the page they sit on.

Paid placements are allowed for advertising or sponsorship. The links just need rel="sponsored" or nofollow so they do not pass ranking credit.

What About the Disavow Tool?

Google has long said that most sites never need to disavow links, because its systems are built to ignore spammy links. Disavowing makes sense mainly if you got a manual action for unnatural links. It also makes sense if you know you built or paid for many manipulative links in the past. In my experience, a few odd anchors from scraper sites are not a reason to panic, and I’d leave them alone.

Examples of Good vs Bad Anchor Text

Here are common situations with a weak version and a stronger rewrite.

1. Generic call to action. Weak: “To see our opening hours, click here.” Better: “See our opening hours and holiday closures.”
2. Bloated anchor. Weak: “Our complete and detailed step-by-step guide to everything you need to know about moving your website.” Better: “Our website migration checklist.”
3. Keyword stuffing. Weak: “We offer best plumber London emergency plumber London cheap plumber services.” Better: “Read about our emergency plumbing service in London.”
4. Misleading anchor. Weak: linking “free trial” to a pricing page with no trial. Better: link “compare our pricing plans” to the pricing page.
5. Chained links. Weak: “SEO PPC Email Social” as four links next to each other in a paragraph. Better: a short bullet list, or separate sentences that explain each service.
6. Empty image link. Weak: a logo link with alt="". Better: alt="Northfield Bakehouse home".
7. Vague source citation. Weak: “According to this, Googlebot has file size limits.” Better: “Googlebot has published file size limits for HTML and PDFs.”

A habit I use all the time: read your page aloud, skipping everything except the links. If the links alone give a sensible list of places to go, your anchors are doing their job. This also helps people who use screen readers, which can list every link on a page out of context.

Do Not Chop Your Writing to Fit Anchors

Anchors should come out of good sentences, not the other way round. Rewriting paragraphs just so a keyword phrase can be linked usually makes the writing worse. The same idea applies to shaping content for AI systems, which we covered in what Google said about chopping content into chunks: write for people first.

How to Audit Your Anchor Text

An anchor audit has two halves: the internal links you control and the backlinks other sites have given you. A crawler (a tool that scans your site like a search engine does) and Search Console cover most of it. For the backlink half, my backlink audit guide covers the full process.

Auditing Internal Anchors

1. Crawl your site. Use any website crawler that exports internal links with their anchor text, source page and target URL.
2. Filter for generic anchors. Search the export for “click here”, “read more”, “here”, “learn more” and “this”. Fix the ones in body content before the ones in buttons.
3. Find empty anchors. Look for links with no text and image links with missing or empty alt text.
4. Group anchors by target page. For each important page, list the anchors pointing to it. Check that they describe the page accurately and are not all the same boilerplate.
5. Check for anchor conflicts. Look for the same anchor phrase pointing to different URLs. That blurs which page owns the topic.
6. Find weakly linked pages. Pages with few or no internal links need links from relevant articles, with anchors that describe them.

After a redesign or domain move, run this crawl again. I usually see templates change link wording or drop links completely at this stage. Our website migration SEO checklist includes internal links as part of the checks after launch.

Auditing Backlink Anchors

1. Open the Links report in Search Console. The external links section has a “Top linking text” table. It shows the anchor text other sites use most often.
2. Look at the overall pattern. A healthy profile is usually led by your brand name, URLs, page titles and natural descriptions.
3. Flag unusual clusters. Note sales keyword phrases that appear far more often than you would expect from people linking naturally.
4. Trace the sources. Check which sites carry those anchors. Editorial mentions are fine. Paid posts, link networks or old campaigns you ran are worth a closer look.
5. Act in proportion. Ask for paid links you control to be removed or labelled. Only think about disavowing for clear manipulative patterns or after a manual action.

Search Console shows a sample, not every link, so third-party backlink tools can add detail. The goal is the same either way: spot patterns, not single odd links.

A Simple Anchor Text Checklist

• Every link uses a crawlable <a href> with visible text or alt text.
• The anchor makes sense when read on its own.
• It is a few words long, not a whole sentence.
• It accurately describes the target page.
• It has keywords only where a reader would need them.
• Paid and user-generated links carry the right rel value.
• Links are spaced out and have helpful text around them.

Conclusion: Anchor Text Best Practices in One Line

Following anchor text best practices means writing link text a reader would find useful: descriptive, short, relevant and free of keyword padding. Use clear anchors that match the topic on your internal links. Give context on outbound links. And let backlinks stay natural, not engineered.

Here is the next step I’d take. Crawl your site this week. Fix every “click here” and empty image link in your body content. Then add descriptive internal links to the pages that matter most to your business.