If you build ten backlinks to a page and all ten use the exact same keyword as anchor text, Google's algorithms will notice. A natural backlink profile accumulated through genuine editorial links from diverse sources will never look like that — real websites link with varied language, contextual phrases, brand names, and generic text. When a profile shows an unnaturally concentrated pattern of exact match keyword anchors, it is a signal of deliberate manipulation.
This is the essence of anchor text diversity — and getting it wrong is one of the most common causes of Penguin-related ranking drops and manual penalties for link schemes.
The Types of Anchor Text
Exact match — the anchor text is precisely your target keyword. "broken link checker" linking to your broken link checker page. These pass strong topical relevance signals but trigger Penguin when overused. As a rule of thumb, exact match anchors should not exceed 5-10% of your total backlink profile for any given page.
Partial match — the anchor contains your keyword alongside other words. "free broken link checker tool" or "how to use a broken link checker" — these are more natural-looking and can be used more liberally than exact match.
Branded — your brand name as the anchor. "SEOLinkScan" or "SEOLinkScan.com". These are the most natural-looking anchors and should make up the largest proportion of your backlink profile — typically 40-60% for established brands.
Generic — non-descriptive anchors like "click here", "read more", "this article", "here", "visit this page". These occur naturally in real editorial linking patterns and a healthy proportion is normal.
Naked URL — the URL itself used as the anchor: "https://seolinkscan.com/scan.php". Common in citations, directories, and informal blog mentions.
Image anchors — links where the anchor is an image rather than text. Google uses the image's alt attribute as the effective anchor text.
What a Natural Anchor Profile Looks Like
There is no single correct ratio, but a natural-looking profile for a mid-sized website typically has something like: 40-60% branded, 20-30% partial match and related phrases, 10-20% naked URL and generic, and 5-10% exact match. The exact numbers vary by niche, site age, and competitive landscape.
The key signal is that no single anchor type dominates unnaturally, and exact match keyword anchors are a minority rather than a majority. Use our anchor text analyser to map your current distribution and identify whether any anchor types are over-represented.
How to Fix Over-Optimised Anchor Text
If your anchor text audit reveals an unsafe proportion of exact match anchors, the fix is not to remove existing links — it is to dilute the profile by building more links with diverse, natural anchors. Build branded links, earn editorial mentions that use varied language, and pursue links where you have less control over the anchor text (press coverage, resource pages, industry blogs).
Avoid the temptation to disavow links just because they use exact match anchors — as we discussed in our guide to the disavow tool, aggressive disavowing can remove legitimate equity. Dilution is almost always preferable to removal.
Anchor Text for Internal Links
Internal link anchor text matters too — it tells Google what each page is about and helps distribute topical relevance through your site. Unlike external links, you have full control over internal anchor text. Use descriptive, keyword-relevant anchors for your internal links, but vary the phrasing rather than repeating identical anchors throughout your site.
Summary
A healthy anchor text profile is diverse — dominated by branded and partial match anchors, with exact match anchors representing a small minority. Monitor your distribution with our anchor text analyser, fix over-optimisation through dilution rather than removal, and maintain natural variation in your internal linking anchor text as well as external.
Missed the previous article? Read: How to Remove Toxic Backlinks With Google's Disavow Tool