Anchor text, also called link text, is the visible text of a link. It tells people and Google something about the page you're linking to.

Anchor text infographic: an example link with the anchor text underlined, four vague or stuffed anchors swapped for descriptive ones, four rules on image links, internal links, length and keyword stuffing, a note on Google's link spam examples, and three steps on what to do.

Oct 6, 2026

What Is Anchor Text? Good and Bad Examples (Infographic)

What anchor text is, what Google says it should say, good and bad examples, image link alt text, and which anchor practices Google lists as link spam.

Download the image Read the walkthrough

Embed this infographic

Every infographic here is free to republish, on any site, with a link back to the study it comes from. Paste this code and the credit is done for you.

<a href="https://searchinsider.io/infographics/anchor-text"><img src="https://searchinsider.io/research/anchor-text/anchor-text-infographic.png" alt="Anchor text infographic: an example link with the anchor text underlined, four vague or stuffed anchors swapped for descriptive ones, four rules on image links, internal links, length and keyword stuffing, a note on Google's link spam examples, and three steps on what to do." style="max-width:680px;width:100%;height:auto;" /></a><p>Source: <a href="https://searchinsider.io/infographics/anchor-text">Anchor text infographic</a> by Search Insider.</p>

What is anchor text, and what should it say?

The short answer: Anchor text is the clickable text of a link. It tells people and Google what the linked page is about. Google wants it descriptive, reasonably short and natural, and lists optimized anchors in guest posts and press releases as link spam.

Based on Google Search Central.

What it shows

Anchor text is the visible text of a link and tells people and Google about the linked page.
Google lists generic anchors like click here, read more and website as examples to avoid.
For image links, Google uses the image's alt attribute as the anchor text.
Google advises against weirdly long anchors and keyword stuffing.
Google's link spam examples include optimized anchor text in articles, guest posts or press releases distributed on other sites.

What to do

Writing: Describe the linked page in a few natural words.
Internal links: Replace click here and read more first.
Links from other sites: Keep anchors natural and varied.

The walkthrough

What is anchor text?

Anchor text, also called link text, is the visible text of a link ^[1]. It tells people and Google something about the page you're linking to ^[1].

What makes good anchor text?

Google recommends descriptive text that makes sense out of context, such as a short phrase describing the page, rather than generic text like click here, read more, website or article ^[1].

How long should anchor text be?

Concise. Google advises against weirdly long anchor text and suggests trimming it to a few words that still give context ^[1].

Is keyword stuffing anchor text a problem?

Yes. Google says to write as naturally as possible and resist cramming every keyword into anchor text, noting that keyword stuffing violates its spam policies ^[1].

How does Google read image links?

For images used as links, Google uses the alt attribute of the img element as the anchor text, so write descriptive alt text ^[1].

Does anchor text matter for internal links?

Yes. Google says paying attention to internal link anchor text can help people and Google make sense of your site more easily ^[1].

What anchor text practices count as link spam?

Google's link spam examples include links with optimized anchor text in articles, guest posts or press releases distributed on other sites, keyword-rich links in widgets, widely distributed footer or template links, and forum signatures stuffed with optimized links ^[2].

Sources

More digital marketing infographics

404 errors infographic: a 404 banner with Google's view that 404s are normal, which status to return in four cases, three facts on how Google treats 4xx and soft 404s, a checklist for a good custom 404 page, and three steps on what to do.

SEO · Oct 6, 2026

Do 404 errors hurt your SEO?

Do 404 errors hurt SEO? How Google treats 404s, why soft 404s are the real problem, which status code to return, and how to build a good custom 404 page.

Download See the details

Embed code

<a href="https://searchinsider.io/infographics/404-errors"><img src="https://searchinsider.io/research/404-errors/404-errors-infographic.png" alt="404 errors infographic: a 404 banner with Google's view that 404s are normal, which status to return in four cases, three facts on how Google treats 4xx and soft 404s, a checklist for a good custom 404 page, and three steps on what to do." style="max-width:680px;width:100%;height:auto;" /></a><p>Source: <a href="https://searchinsider.io/infographics/404-errors">404 errors infographic</a> by Search Insider.</p>

AI-generated content infographic: a quality not method banner, a split of fine uses versus uses against Google's rules, a pre-publish checklist (accuracy, metadata, who, how, why), a Merchant Center note on labeling AI images and product data, and three steps on what to do.

AI search · Oct 6, 2026

Does Google penalize AI-generated content?

Google's stance on AI-generated content: quality over production method, what breaks the scaled content abuse policy, and a checklist before publishing AI-assisted content.

Download See the details

Embed code

<a href="https://searchinsider.io/infographics/ai-generated-content"><img src="https://searchinsider.io/research/ai-generated-content/ai-generated-content-infographic.png" alt="AI-generated content infographic: a quality not method banner, a split of fine uses versus uses against Google's rules, a pre-publish checklist (accuracy, metadata, who, how, why), a Merchant Center note on labeling AI images and product data, and three steps on what to do." style="max-width:680px;width:100%;height:auto;" /></a><p>Source: <a href="https://searchinsider.io/infographics/ai-generated-content">AI-generated content infographic</a> by Search Insider.</p>

Author bylines infographic: a weak versus strong byline comparison, an author page checklist (real name and photo, background, their articles, links elsewhere), an author markup checklist (include every author, name only, url or sameAs, the right type), and three steps on what to do.

Content · Oct 6, 2026

Do author bylines and author pages matter for SEO?

Do author bylines and author pages matter for SEO? What Google asks about authorship, what an author page should include, and Google's author markup best practices.

Download See the details

Embed code

<a href="https://searchinsider.io/infographics/author-bylines"><img src="https://searchinsider.io/research/author-bylines/author-bylines-infographic.png" alt="Author bylines infographic: a weak versus strong byline comparison, an author page checklist (real name and photo, background, their articles, links elsewhere), an author markup checklist (include every author, name only, url or sameAs, the right type), and three steps on what to do." style="max-width:680px;width:100%;height:auto;" /></a><p>Source: <a href="https://searchinsider.io/infographics/author-bylines">Author bylines and author pages infographic</a> by Search Insider.</p>