Link text refers to the clickable text associated with a URL, often called a hyperlink. It can be a single word, several words, or even a sentence. In the context of search engine optimization, the choice of link text is crucial for effective link building.
Link text is also known as anchor text or reference text. In the early days of the internet, backlinks were genuine recommendations providing additional information to website visitors. The focus was on user clicks rather than passing link juice or PageRank, as search engines were less sophisticated.
Initially, a reference to a website was valued more than search engine ranking, and link texts received minimal attention. However, this changed with Google's emergence as the leading search engine in the early 2000s. The SEO discipline evolved to optimize websites for better SERP rankings, making link texts significant.
SEO practices once relied heavily on “hard linking,” where the link text precisely matched the target site's main keyword, leading to peculiar tactics. SEOs utilized blog comments to generate backlinks, using keywords like "Bad Credit" instead of usernames, exploiting CMS features that automatically linked names to URLs.
In response to hard linking, Google introduced the Penguin update, discouraging excessive keyword use in anchor texts as manipulative. By 2012, this approach was abandoned, returning link text to its intended function: directing users to a linked site. A noteworthy example is searching “here” on Google, where Adobe Reader appears due to frequent links with the keyword “here” (https://www.google.de/#q=here).
Using generic link text with semantic yet “empty” words/phrases is common practice.
Since the Penguin update, opinions on effective link text for SEO have varied. However, relying on hard linking for external links is outdated. Today's focus is on creating natural-looking link profiles. The key is to encourage user clicks, rather than fixating on specific keywords.
Links comprising several words or phrases are known as “soft links,” which naturally vary.
For internal links, selecting the right anchor text is crucial for distributing link juice and targeting specific subpages. When dealing with “long tail keywords,” the link text should precisely reference the relevant subpage.
Using keywords can be beneficial, ensuring consistent anchor text points to the same subpage. For instance, an online shop should consistently use "saucepan" to link to the relevant subpage, influencing SERP rankings for that keyword.