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 matches the exact keyword the page is optimized for (e.g. "running shoes for men").
• Partial match: The anchor text contains 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: Generic 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 the 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 site help Google understand page structure and distribute "link juice" to important pages.
• External links (backlinks): Links from other websites to your shop are one of the strongest ranking signals. The anchor text in these links affects 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 look manipulative to Google and trigger a penalty.
• Descriptive: The anchor text should make sense and tell the user what they can expect on the linked page.
• Avoid generic text: "Click here" doesn't give users or search engines useful information about the linked page's content.
• Relevance: The anchor text should match the content on the linked page. Misleading anchor text damages both user experience and SEO.
• Appropriate length: Keep the anchor text short and concise - typically 2-6 words. Too long anchor text dilutes the signal value.

Anchor text profile and risk management

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

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

An unnatural profile with a predominance of exact match anchor text may indicate link manipulation and risk a Google penalty.

Anchor text internal to your online store

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

Examples of good internal anchor texts 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