Anchor Text.

Anchor text is the wording that is visible and clickable in a hyperlink — in HTML, the text between <a href='…'> and </a>. For a reader it is a preview of the destination; for Google it is a hint about the topic of the linked page. A link whose anchor text reads 'web design in Zurich' says considerably more than a bare 'click here'. Because the signal works in both directions, weak anchor text costs you clarity for users and context for search engines at the same time.

Several types are usually distinguished: exact-match anchors (the money keyword itself), partial-match anchors, brand anchors (the company name), URL anchors (the bare address) and generic anchors such as 'read more'. A natural link profile mixes all of them, because that is what genuine editorial linking produces. An unusually high share of exact-match anchors pointing in from external sites can be read as an attempt at manipulation rather than as a sign of relevance.

Internal linking is different, because there you control the wording yourself and should use it deliberately. Descriptive anchors help Google understand how topics relate inside your own site and pass relevance to the pages that matter. Instead of 'Contact', 'Request a free initial SEO consultation' tells the reader exactly what happens next. The same applies to navigation-style links buried in body copy: the more precise the wording, the more useful the link is on both sides.

An example: a blog article about loading times that links to the matching service page with the anchor 'improve your Core Web Vitals' gives readers and Google a clear signal about what sits behind the link. Compare that with a generic 'here' in the same sentence — identical destination, identical link equity, but far less context. Over dozens of internal links across a site, that difference in wording adds up to a much clearer topical structure.