Unnatural anchor text is bad for your SEO as it can kill your link building efforts and can actually get you into loads of trouble. If you are building backlinks, using the right anchor texts is incredibly important. Anchor text backlinks help users and search engines assess the relevance of a backlink and the content that it points out. It also boosts user experience and improves your website’s rankings. High-quality anchor text backlinks boost click-through rates and conversion rates.
What is An Anchor Text?
If you want to build links correctly, you must learn the importance of anchor text. The anchor text is the specific text used for the link that is associated with the backlinks, which are the votes that you are getting from other websites.
In simple words, anchor text refers to the wording that is used on the “clickable” part of backlinks in web pages. Essentially, an anchor text helps not only internet users but also search engines assess the context of the link and the subsequent content it is linking to.
Anchor text plays an incredibly important role in SEO as it helps Google understand the context as well as the content of the linked webpage, so the webpage ranks higher in SERPs. The more descriptive the anchor text, the better the user experience will be, and the more easily internet users will understand what they are linking to.
Different Types of Anchor Texts
To improve your SEO and to use anchor text backlinks the right way, you should also know about the different types of anchor texts that you can use. 
Why Does it Matter?
We know that backlinks are important for your success with Google and other search engines. With that said, the anchor text is also going to be associated with the backlink. There are multiple types of anchor texts that you should know about so you can understand what to do when you are link-building, as you need the right anchor text pointing to your website.
Exact Match Anchor Text
This anchor text type is exactly what it sounds like, as it matches the target keyword. If the target keyword is “criminal lawyer,” the anchor text would be “criminal lawyer,” too.
Title Anchor Text
The title of the linked page itself, such as “How to Use Anchor Text Backlinks,” is also another type of anchor text.
Branded Anchor Text
You might be wondering what is branded anchor text? This anchor text refers to the same name of the brand or company, such as “Amazon.”
Partial Match Anchor Text
This type of anchor text comprises the keyword for the backlink as well as other words.
Image Anchor text
In this anchor text type, you use an image as a link, and Google reads the alt text of that image as the anchor text.
Generic Anchor Text
This anchor text type doesn’t describe the linked page or the content of the linking page. Generic anchor text can be “learn more” or “click here.”
Naked URLs
This type of anchor text only includes the URL of the page it is linking to.
The Importance of Anchor Text in SEO
You must be wondering why anchor text matters in SEO. You should know that Google uses anchor text to gauge two things, which are the content and relevance of the linked pages. If you look at it, you see that it is not only about getting the words of the anchor texts right, but it is essentially about building trust and relevancy.
Some time ago, it was just enough to pack links with exact-match keywords to rank a web page higher in search engine results. However, with Google’s latest updates after the BERT update, Google uses “natural language processing” to not only process pages but also the context around the pages and the used anchor texts.
This aspect illustrates why it has become incredibly important to check backlinks anchor text and integrate the right anchor text backlinks strategy to avoid the Google penalty.
What is Google’s Stance Now?
Now, Google considers the surrounding words and sentences of the backlink for better context. What this means is that exact-match anchor texts are no longer a priority and the golden rule as it once used to be. As a matter of fact, the blend of various anchor texts has now become the golden ticket to SEO success.
When Should You Use Exact-Match Anchors?
The key is to blend various types of anchor texts and not only rely on exact-match anchor texts. However, there are situations when only using exact-match anchor texts works in your favor. For instance, you must use exact-match anchor texts when you are linking to a very specific event or concept and using the exact name of that event or concept in your anchor text.
Also, you will want to use the exact-match anchor texts if your linking page is a definition page and if the link page is an incredibly trustworthy website.
The Importance of Anchor Text Analysis for Better Backlinks
You might have gone the extra mile and put in loads of effort to analyze your competitor’s backlink profile, and now you are confident that you have better and more powerful links than your competitors. However, here is the thing: if you build links and you don’t make them relevant, it tells Google that you have used invalid anchor texts that are not relevant to the pages they are linking to.
You need to check your anchor texts and perform anchor text analysis to understand the composition of the anchor text. With the right anchor text analysis tools, you can look at the anchor text and analyze the anchor text while breaking it down into various categories, such as long-tail phrases or keyword-rich anchor text. This way, you will thoroughly assess the composition of the used anchor texts and avoid overusing any type of anchor text.
What Are Anchor Text For Backlinks?
For effective SEO, you must know that one of the biggest red flags in link-building that can cause your links to be ignored by Google or even lead to Google penalties is the use and distribution of unnatural anchor texts.
Anchor texts serve an important purpose. When it comes to anchor texts for backlinks, they give users an idea of what they can anticipate when they click on a link. It also helps search engines understand the subject of the linked page. When you use anchor texts for backlinks the right way, you can help both the users and search engines understand your content.
There are three basic types of links where you will use anchor texts:
External Links: These links link from your website to an external website.
Internal links: These are links that link from one page on your website to another on the same site.
Inbound Links: These links essentially link from another website back to yours.
How to Use Backlink Anchor Text The Right Way?
To use anchor text backlinks the right way, you must aim for a mix of several types of anchor texts. On that note, branded anchors should ideally make the majority of your backlink profile. Follow with generic anchor texts and naked URLs.
Contrary to what you might have practiced before, keyword-rich anchors should only make a tiny percentage of your backlinks profile. Here are some other tips for you to follow to use anchor backlinks the right way, which will not offend Google but actually boost your website’s ranking.
Focus on Great Anchor Text Distribution
You need to focus on great anchor text distribution. The best way you can do this is by mixing things up and using different variations instead of repeating the target anchors. By doing so, you will essentially secure better and greater results.
Build Your Anchor Text Backlinks Gradually
Another tip to use backlink anchor text the right way is to build gradually and mindfully. What this means is that you must avoid using the same anchor text repeatedly within a short time period. The best thing you can do is to strategically spread out exact-match anchors and only use them for the highest-quality link-building opportunities.
Leverage On-Site Optimization
Another effective strategy for using backlink anchor text the right way is to leverage on site optimization, where you can still integrate keywords naturally across your website in several ways that are different from just anchor texts.
For instance, apart from simply using anchor texts, you can use keywords in page URLs naturally within the navigation menus or the content itself. By doing so, you will Google the right signals once they follow the links to your page.
Break Up the Keyword Phrase
You might want to break up your keyword phrase as an effective strategy to rank higher for the page in Google. The thing is that by breaking up the keyword phrase into individual anchors, you can get unstuck and rank higher. For instance, if you want to rank for “plumber in Los Angeles,” you might want to rank the keywords “plumber” and then “Los Angeles” to break the rut and rank higher for those words.
Also, while you are focusing on phrases and anchor texts, make sure to write in proper English. You already know that your goal is to look natural, and proper English will make your links look more natural to Google and your readers.
Integrate Co-Occurrence Keywords
Another amazing strategy to use anchor text backlinks the right way is to use co-occurrence keywords. Here is what you will do:
You will want to place keywords near instead of directly in your anchor text. Yes, you read this right. Let us explain this point with an example. For instance, if you are linking to a lawyer’s website, you could arrange your anchor text along with the keyword in the following manner:
“To know more, check out Example Law Website.Com.”
In this example, you see that the link will be sitting on the final bits of the entire phrase, including the anchor text and the keywords. Using this technique, you will be effectively sending the right signals to search engines without stuffing keywords directly into your anchor text.
Leverage the SEO Title
No one is really talking about this strategy – but it is incredibly useful if you want to get things right. Now, when it comes to your SEO title, it actually shows up on the search engine result page, and according to data, it is a very common anchor. If you are doing things correctly in on-page optimization, your SEO title should include your target keyword. On that note, if you have already maxed out on your target anchor limit, you can actually leverage your SEO title to integrate a few more target anchors without risking over-optimization.
Final Tip: Don’t Overdo
The last tip to get your anchor text backlinks right is to avoid getting overly fixated on anchor texts. Why, you might ask? Well, here is the thing: the anchor text is just one part of the larger SEO and link-building strategy. There are several other factors that you must keep in mind for effective link-building, such as high-quality content and backlinks, as these are very heavy when it comes to ranking your website.
So, you might be getting your anchor text distribution perfectly in order – you will still need to focus on content quality and link-building to really see amazing results.
Final Thoughts
Anchor text backlinks can single-handedly hold you back from ranking in Google. So, you must focus on getting your anchor texts right. By optimizing your anchor text backlinks, you can get to the top of Google, and you can do so with the least amount of backlinks. Just make sure that you have a diverse backlink profile, and when it comes to backlinks, always prioritize quality over quantity. Google pays close attention to the anchors you use, and if it looks unnatural to them, you will get penalized.
FAQs
What is An Anchor Text?
Anchor text essentially refers to the “clickable link” that leads to another webpage. Anchor text is also described as “link text” or “link label.”
How to Use Anchor Text in SEO?
The best anchor text is reasonably concise, precise, descriptive, and essentially relevant to the page that it is linking to. The function of the anchor text is to provide context for linking content to internet users and search engines.
Backlink vs. Anchor Text – What is the Difference?
A backlink is a link that is from another website. On the other hand, the anchor text is the clickable text that links one website to another. The anchor text helps Google and internet users understand the context of the backlink.
