Anchor text passes topical relevance from the linking page to the linked page. Google uses the distribution of anchor text pointing at a URL as one input to that page's topical ranking.
Anchor categories
- Exact match — the target keyword ("keyword difficulty").
- Partial match — includes the keyword plus other words.
- Branded — the site or brand name.
- Generic — "click here", "learn more".
- Naked URL — the URL itself as anchor.
Example
A page targeting "rank tracking" with 80% exact-match anchor text looks unnatural to Google and can trigger an algorithmic penalty. A natural profile mixes categories with branded anchors typically the largest single share.
How SEM Optimiser reports it
The anchor-text report groups anchors into categories and flags URLs where the distribution deviates significantly from industry norms.
Related terms
- Backlink
A backlink is a hyperlink on an external website that points to a page on your own domain, and is one of the strongest ranking signals in Google's algorithm.
- Referring Domain
A referring domain is a unique external website that links to your site at least once, regardless of how many individual backlinks originate from it.
- Link Velocity
Link velocity is the rate at which a website acquires or loses backlinks over time.