What is an anchor text? 

An anchor text is an interactive text. It is placed on a web page and connected to a hyperlink. This hyperlink then refers the visitor to an internal or external page. This is necessary to improve the user experience of the reader. It enables them to navigate the wide web better. An anchor text not only offers advantages to the reader, but can also have a significant effect on the search engine optimisation of your website. But how does this work exactly? What is the meaning of anchor text? How do you determine the right anchor text and how are these links used in practice?

Definition of anchor text

An anchor text is the part that is visible to the reader but that is actually a hyperlink. Instead of a URL, however, you use one or more words to describe the hyperlink. That way the reader knows what to expect from the link and whether it is necessary to follow it. In some cases, instead of an anchor text, just a URL is placed. In the case of subpages or when the URL is complex, this is not always clear to the reader. In that case, the text may be less readable or the reader may be less likely to use it. In that case, it is smarter to use an anchor text. Anchor text is immediately visible to the reader because it is displayed in a different colour on the website. 

Anchor text: the different possibilities 

There are several reasons to use an anchor text. Firstly, to improve the user experience. Especially when it comes to internal links. That way, they can navigate the website more easily without having to spend a lot of time doing it themselves. In addition, a hyperlink is also used for SEO purposes. An anchor text can help with this because the link is then already indexed for the corresponding search term. This not only gives the visitor more clarity about the destination, but it is also clearer for the Google robots what the hyperlink is based on. 

Determining the right anchor 

When determining the right anchor text, there are a few things to keep in mind. The most important thing is that the anchor is relevant to the link. The reader needs to know what he or she is being referred to. So always use a relevant anchor. It's also important to choose a descriptive anchor. So instead of writing "Click here for more tips" with a link to "Click here", you describe what you want to refer to. For example: "Find the 5 best tips on our website" with a link to "the 5 best tips". This way it is clear to the reader (and to Google) what you are referring to.