The anchor text types this tool measures
| Type | Example (for acmepets.com) | Typical share* |
|---|---|---|
| Branded | Acme Pet Co | 30–60% |
| Naked URL | acmepets.com | 10–25% |
| Generic | click here | 5–15% |
| Topical / other | this guide to crate sizes | 10–25% |
| Partial match | best crates for puppies | 5–15% |
| Exact match | dog crates | 0–7% |
| Image / empty | (image, no alt) | 0–10% |
Anchor text is one of the clearest signals of whether links were earned or engineered. When people link to you on their own, they mostly use your name, your URL, or a description of what they found useful. When links are built, they tend to repeat the exact keyword the site wants to rank for. A profile that leans heavily on exact-match anchors is one of the patterns Google's link spam systems were designed to discount.
How to read your results
- Branded + naked URL should be your foundation. If they're well under a third of your anchors, your profile looks more built than earned.
- Exact match is the danger zone. A few are normal. A large, growing share — especially from low-quality sites — is the classic over-optimization footprint.
- Topical anchors are underrated. Descriptive phrases (“this breakdown of crate sizes”) read naturally and still give context.
- One anchor dominating anything other than your brand is worth investigating — it usually comes from a sitewide link or a single campaign.
Count referring domains, not raw links
A single sitewide footer link can create thousands of identical anchors. If your export lets you choose, use the number of referring domains per anchor for the count — it gives a much truer picture.
How to fix an over-optimized anchor profile
- Point new links at the page with branded, URL and descriptive anchors until the mix rebalances.
- For links you control (guest posts, partner sites, profiles), ask for the anchor to be changed to your brand name or a natural phrase.
- Build links to other pages on your site, so one money page isn't the target of every keyword anchor.
- Only consider the disavow tool for genuinely manipulative links you (or a previous SEO) built — see our guide to toxic backlinks.
For the full strategy, read our complete guide to anchor text.