The Five Anchor Text Types
Exact Match
Your target keyword verbatim: project management software linking to your project management page.
Dangerous in quantity. More than 5% of your profile? Red flag.
Partial Match
Keyword inside a natural phrase: this project management software review or why project management tools matter.
The sweet spot. 15-25% is healthy.
Branded
Your company name: Acme Inc, Visit Acme.
The most natural type. Real coverage looks like this. 30-50% for established brands.
Generic
Click here. Learn more. This article.
Real humans write like this. 15-25% is normal.
Naked URLs
Just the URL: https://example.com/blog/post
People paste links. Lazy but authentic. 5-15% is typical.
Why This Matters
Google compares your distribution against natural profiles. Deviations get flagged.
Natural links: A blogger writes I've been using Acme for tracking projects. A journalist says according to this Acme report. Nobody coordinates.
When SEOs build links, they optimize. Same keywords. Same patterns. Same footprint Google learned to detect.
Over-optimization signs:
- More than 10% exact match commercial anchors
- Phrases like
best cheap software buy now - Identical anchor text from unrelated sites
How to Audit
- Export backlinks from GSC, Ahrefs, Semrush
- Categorize into the five types, calculate percentages
- Find problems: Any single anchor over 5%? Exact match over 10%? Weird phrases?
- Verify the data — link building reports lie
Verify Your Backlinks Exist
Backlink Checker Pro validates whether links in your reports actually exist.
- Link existence — is it on the page?
- Dofollow, nofollow, sponsored, or UGC status
- Page accessibility — noindex, bot blocks
Fixing Problems
Too many exact match: Dilute with branded/generic anchors. Ask webmasters to update. Disavow obvious spam.
Suspicious patterns: You’re looking at a link scheme or bad vendor work. Investigate and disavow junk.
Too generic: Not dangerous, just suboptimal. Focus future building on editorial links with descriptive anchors.
Going Forward
Organic links: Can’t control anchor text. Make content worth linking to.
Guest posts: Rotate between branded, partial match, generic. Match surrounding content.
Purchased links: Never exact match. Stick to branded or URL anchors.
What's a healthy anchor text ratio?
Branded: 30-50%. Partial match: 15-25%. Generic: 15-25%. Naked URLs: 5-15%. Exact match: under 5%. No single type should dominate.
Can exact match anchors hurt rankings?
Yes. Penguin targets unnatural patterns. More than 10% exact-match puts you at risk.
What's the difference between exact and partial match?
Exact: project management software. Partial: this project management software review. Partial is safer.
How often should I audit anchor text?
Full audit quarterly. Check new links monthly. Verify paid links immediately.