Internal Linking
Part of Internal linking
Writing descriptive anchors without forced keywords
Good anchor text tells a reader what opening the link will do.
Anchor text is the visible, clickable text of a link. Google Search Central’s Link best practices for Google says good anchor text is descriptive, reasonably concise, and relevant to both the page it appears on and the page it links to.
Suppose the target phrase is “best SEO practices”. A forced anchor repeats it: “best SEO practices best SEO practices”. Rewrite the link as “learn about the best SEO practices” when it leads to a page explaining that subject; the keyword idea remains, but the wording reads naturally and describes the destination.
Use an exact-match phrase when it fits the sentence, but do not repeat it mechanically. Partial matches and close semantic variations can keep the topic clear: “how invoice approvals work” may suit an introductory sentence, while “separate approval from payment execution” may suit a sentence about controls, if the destination covers both.
“Compare cloud access options” is clearer than “click here” if the destination actually compares those options. Avoid precise claims in an anchor unless the destination supports them. Varn Agency’s 26 October 2023 article, “A Deep Dive into Anchor Text for Offsite SEO”, also advises against overly keyword-stuffed or forced-sounding phrases.
Apply the same check to each link: read the sentence without the link, then read just the anchor. Does the sentence still flow, and could a reader reasonably predict the destination from the anchor? Confirm the destination supports that description; if the sentence is awkward, rewrite the sentence rather than forcing the keyword into the link.
Keep the anchor reasonably concise: use enough words to identify the destination, not a whole long sentence. Avoid chaining many adjacent links or using generic labels that depend on visual context.
Check the link text on the rendered page. If JavaScript inserts the anchor text, Google recommends using the URL Inspection Tool to confirm it appears in the rendered HTML. WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.9 is another useful check: the link’s purpose should be clear from its text alone.
