What is anchor text ratio

Anchor text ratio is the ratio of different types of anchor text in your link profile. Essentially, it is the balance between how often external links use exact keywords, brand names, URLs, general phrases, or non-anchor text. Search engines perceive anchor text as a signal: it helps them understand what a linked page is about and in what context it should be displayed in search results.

But if there are too many of these signals and they are all the same, it raises suspicion. For example, if there are 100 links to a website with the anchor text “buy a cheap smartphone,” Google will most likely consider this to be artificial promotion. That is why anchor text distribution plays a key role in SEO safety and the effectiveness of your link strategy.

Types of anchor text: terminology and application

To correctly form the proportion of anchors, it is important to understand what types of anchor text exist:

• Exact match — the anchor completely repeats the promoted keyword, for example: “buy LG refrigerator.” This is the riskiest type of anchor, but when used in moderation, it is effective.
• Partial match — the anchor contains part of the keyword or a variation of it: “budget LG refrigerators,” “where to buy LG.”
• Branded — links with the brand or domain name: “TechMarket,” “techmarket.ua.”
• URL anchors — a link in the form of the address itself, for example: “https://site.com.”
• Generic — neutral wording: “learn more,” “go to,” “more details,” “on the website.”
• Non-anchor links — placing a link on a button, logo, or icon without visible text.
• LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) — thematically similar phrases and synonyms that do not repeat the keyword verbatim but support its semantics: “mobile electronics,” “home appliances.”

Example: the anchor profile of the TechMarket online store is built to use the brand, topic, and keywords in equal measure: 40% — brand, 30% — partial matches, 15% — URL, 10% — neutral, 5% — exact.

Read also: What are through links and their influence.

Optimal distribution of anchor text

In real SEO practice, there is no “universal formula” for distributing anchors. It all depends on the age of the site, its theme, region, competition, and promotion strategy. However, experience shows that the more natural the anchor profile looks, the lower the risks and the higher the long-term effectiveness.

A conditionally “healthy” structure might look like this:

• brand anchors — 30–40%
• partial matches — 20–25%
• URLs — 10–15%
• general phrases — 10–15%
• exact matches — no more than 5–10%
• LSI and non-anchor — the remaining percentage

This profile shows the search engine that the links are diverse, obtained in different contexts, and placed by real people (or very well imitated). If the share of exact matches exceeds 20–30%, algorithms may suspect an attempt to manipulate search results.

How to manage your anchor profile: recommendations and tips

To keep your anchor text ratio safe and effective, it is important to regularly monitor and adjust your link building strategy. Here are the basic principles:

• analyze your anchor profile using tools such as Ahrefs, Serpstat, SE Ranking, and Google Search Console
• Distribute external links consciously: no more than 1 exact match per 10 other anchor forms
• Use branded and partially-keyword anchors as a basis: they work and do not trigger penalties
• Do not insert exact keywords in links from footers, partner blocks, and mass placements
• In crowd marketing and natural comments, use LSI and neutral phrases
• You can be a little more aggressive in internal links, but even there it is better to vary
• Track the dynamics: if the number of exact anchors grows, dilute the profile
• Periodically “clean up” your link profile: remove toxic links, disavow them through GSC

Example: a website selling auto services was promoted only by the keyword “engine repair in Kiev” and received 70 links with identical anchors in three months. The result was a sharp drop in search results. After diluting the anchors and adding the brand and neutral forms, the positions were partially restored. Anchor text ratio is like a balanced diet for your website: everything is important, but in reasonable amounts. Overfeed it with keywords and you’ll start having problems. As part of our SEO solutions for business and premium SEO services for your business, we develop an anchor strategy as part of our overall link building logic, taking into account risks, goals, and competitor behavior. Because it’s not just about “putting links,” it’s about doing it in a way that works for you and doesn’t get you filtered out.