Anchor text strategy: natural variation without looking manipulated

Fibvo editorial · 1 July 2022 · 4 min read

Anchor text — the clickable, visible text of a link — is a meaningful relevance signal for both internal and external links, but overly aggressive optimisation of it is also one of the clearest signals of manipulative link building, as covered in our Penguin update explainer.

What natural anchor text distribution actually looks like

Genuine, naturally earned backlinks show significant variation in anchor text — brand names, naked URLs, generic phrases ('click here', 'this article'), and only occasionally an exact-match keyword phrase. A profile dominated by exact-match commercial anchor text is a strong, unnatural pattern worth investigating.

• Brand name anchors ('Fibvo', 'our website') are typically the most common in a natural profile.
• Naked URL anchors occur frequently in natural linking, especially from forums and citations.
• Generic anchors ('read more', 'this guide') are common and entirely normal.
• Exact-match keyword anchors should represent a modest minority, not the dominant pattern.

For internal linking specifically

Internal links carry lower risk than external backlinks since you control both ends, but descriptive, natural anchor text still helps both users and search engines understand the linked page's topic better than generic 'click here' text — see our internal linking strategy guide for the broader approach.

You cannot fully control the anchor text other sites use when they link to you — which is exactly why an anchor profile that looks too perfectly optimised is itself a red flag.

What to do about your own backlink anchor text

You cannot directly edit anchor text on external sites linking to you, but you can influence future link building by not requesting or paying for exact-match anchors, and by monitoring your existing profile for patterns that might warrant a disavow if clearly manipulative.

• Never request exact-match commercial anchor text when pursuing legitimate outreach or guest content.
• Monitor your backlink profile's anchor text distribution periodically.
• Focus on earning links through genuinely valuable content rather than dictating anchor text.

Frequently asked questions

If you want your backlink anchor text profile reviewed for risk, reach out to our team.

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Written by Fibvo — Bengaluru and Erode, India — working with clients in other time zones. Questions, or think we have it wrong? Tell us.