Skip to main content
CodeRocket
SEOmediumcontent

Use descriptive anchor text

rule · anchor-text

Anchor text is the clickable text in a hyperlink. It should provide a clear indication of what the user will find when they click the link.

Code Example

HTML
<!-- ✅ Good: Descriptive and contextual -->
<p>For more information, read our <a href="/seo-guide">complete guide to SEO best practices</a>.</p>
 
<!-- ❌ Bad: Generic and provides no context -->
<p>To learn more about our SEO services, <a href="/seo-guide">click here</a>.</p>

Why It Matters

  • Search Context: Tells search engines what the linked page is about, helping it rank for those terms.
  • Accessibility: Screen reader users often navigate via a list of links; descriptive text makes this list meaningful.
  • User Trust: Users are more likely to click a link when they know exactly where it leads.
  • Internal Navigation: Helps distribute authority throughout your site by creating a logical web of related content.

Exceptions

  • Utility or intentionally noindex pages may keep minimal metadata when richer search presentation is not a goal.
  • Template-driven pages can look repetitive in isolation; confirm the fully rendered production output before flagging duplication or omission.
  • If a page is intentionally redirected or excluded from indexation, resolve that crawlability decision before treating metadata polish as the primary issue.

Standards

  • Use these references as the standard for the final search-facing HTML, metadata, and crawl behavior.
  • Check the implementation against Google Search Central: Search Essentials before treating the rule as satisfied.
  • Check the implementation against Google Search Central documentation before treating the rule as satisfied.

Verification

Automated Checks

  • Inspect rendered HTML and HTTP headers to confirm the expected metadata or crawlability signal is present.
  • Test the affected URL with Google Search Console or equivalent tooling where relevant.
  • Re-crawl a representative page set after deployment.

Manual Checks

  • Confirm the change does not create conflicting canonical-url, robots, or structured-data signals.