One of the more common questions in SEO is what is an anchor text. In short, it is the text that appears in the hyperlink.

Meaning, if we have a text and we see a word phrase either underlined or usually in blue (what indicated that it is a link) – that text is the anchor text.

Screenshot example:

The anchor text here would be “getting more reviews”.

Anchor text and SEO

Back in the day, SEO managers used to manipulate Google’s search algorithm by purchasing spammy links and using the same anchor text over and over again. At some point, Google’s algorithm started identifying the systematic strategy and soon enough, the Google Penguin update was rolled out and it targeted many spammy or identical anchor texts, along with other spam related elements.

Best Practice for Anchor Texts

Use variety of anchor texts in your SEO strategy – it is that simple. Keep using natural text and never stick to a single anchor texts in order to raise any red flags.