Anchor text

What is anchor text?

Anchor text is the text you see and click on in a link. In HTML code, it looks like this:

<a href="https://eksempel.dk/sko">See our selection of shoes</a>

Here, “See our selection of shoes” is the anchor text. It provides context to both the user and search engines about what the linked page contains.

Types of anchor text

• Exact match: The anchor text exactly matches the keyword the page is optimized for (e.g., “men’s running shoes”).
• Partial match: The anchor text includes the keyword as part of a sentence (e.g., "See our running shoes for men here").
• Branded: The company or brand name is used as anchor text (e.g., “Shoporama”).
• Generic: General text such as “click here,” “read more,” or “this page.”
• Naked URL: The URL itself is used as anchor text (e.g., "www.eksempel.dk/sko").
• Image-based: When an image is linked, Google uses the image’s alt text as anchor text.

Anchor Text and SEO

Google uses anchor text to understand what the linked page is about. If many pages link to your product page with the anchor text “red leather bag,” Google interprets this as a signal that your page is relevant to that keyword.

Anchor text affects SEO on two levels:

• Internal links: Links between pages on your own online store help Google understand the site structure and distribute “link juice” to important pages.
• External links (backlinks): Links from other websites to your store are one of the strongest ranking signals. The anchor text in these links influences which keywords you rank for.

Best practices for anchor text

• Natural variation: Use a mix of different anchor text types. Too many exact-match links can appear manipulative to Google and trigger a penalty.
• Descriptive: The anchor text should make sense and tell the user what to expect on the linked page.
• Avoid generic text: “Click here” provides neither users nor search engines with useful information about the linked page’s content.
• Relevance: The anchor text should match the content on the linked page. Misleading anchor text harms both the user experience and SEO.
• Appropriate length: Keep anchor text short and precise—typically 2–6 words. Anchor text that’s too long dilutes its signal value.

Anchor Text Profile and Risk Management

Your overall anchor text profile (the distribution of all anchor text types linking to your page) should look natural. A healthy profile typically contains:

• 40–50% branded anchor text
• 20–30% partial matches and related keywords
• 10–15% generic text and bare URLs
• 5–10% exact-match

An unnatural profile with an excess of exact-match anchor texts may indicate link manipulation and risk a Google penalty.

Internal Anchor Text on Your Online Store

Use descriptive anchor text in your internal links—in product descriptions, blog posts, articles, and category descriptions. This helps distribute link juice to important pages and improves navigation for your visitors. In Shoporama, you can easily add internal links using the text editor in the product and article editing tools.

Examples of good internal anchor text in an online store:

• "See our black running shoes for women" — descriptive and keyword-rich
• "Read our guide to choosing running shoes" — leads to relevant content
• "Available in multiple colors — see the color selection here" — natural and helpful