Anchor Text Best Practices for Backlinks in 2026
Anchor text best practices for 2026: the main types of anchor text, a healthy backlink anchor mix, what Google recommends and the patterns that look spammy.
Anchor text is the visible, clickable text of a link. When another site links to you with the words "GST invoice template", those words tell readers and search engines what to expect on the other side. That makes anchor text useful, and also easy to abuse.
Here is how to think about anchor text for backlinks today, without chasing outdated percentages.
What Google says about anchor text
Google's link best practices documentation says good anchor text is descriptive, reasonably concise, and relevant to the page it links to. It advises against generic text like "click here" where better wording is possible, and against stuffing keywords into links.
On the spam side, Google's spam policies list keyword-rich anchor text in large-scale guest posting and links stuffed into widgets or footers as examples of link spam. In short: describe the page naturally, and do not engineer anchors to match your target keyword everywhere.
The main types of anchor text
| Type | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Branded | Backlink Generator | The most natural and common for any real business |
| Naked URL | backlinkgenerator.in | Common in citations, listings and lookup pages |
| Descriptive or partial match | this guide to free backlink tools | Natural and informative |
| Exact match | free backlink generator | Strongest relevance hint, highest risk if overused |
| Generic | click here, read more, this site | Harmless but tells search engines little |
| Image link | An image with alt text | The alt text acts as the anchor |
What a natural anchor text profile looks like
There is no official ideal ratio, and you should be suspicious of anyone who quotes one. But natural backlink profiles share a recognisable shape:
- Brand names and URLs make up most anchors. People link to businesses by name.
- Descriptive phrases are common. Writers describe what they are linking to in their own words.
- Exact-match keyword anchors are a minority. They happen naturally, but rarely dominate.
- Anchors vary. Hundreds of different sites rarely choose identical wording by chance.
If your backlink report shows the same commercial keyword across a large share of your links, that pattern is what looks manipulative. Check yours in the Top linking text section of the Google Search Console Links report. Our guide on checking backlinks for free shows where to find it. To audit the anchor text of the links on one of your own pages, run it through our free Link Checker.
Practical best practices
1. Let others choose the wording
You control the anchor text only on links you build yourself. For editorial links, journalists and bloggers will pick their own words. That is a good thing: it keeps your profile natural.
2. When you can suggest an anchor, describe the page
In guest posts, partner pages or author bios, use your brand name or a short descriptive phrase. "Rohan's guide to filing ITR as a freelancer" is better than "ITR filing online cheap".
3. Vary anchors across pages, not just across links
Different pages on your site should attract different, relevant anchors. If every link points to your homepage with one keyword, the pattern stands out.
4. Keep anchors concise
A few words that clearly describe the destination work best for readers. Whole sentences as anchors are awkward, and single generic words like "here" waste the opportunity.
5. Match anchor text to the destination
The anchor should describe what the page actually contains. Linking "pricing" to a blog post, or "free tool" to a paid sign-up page, confuses users and weakens the signal.
6. Do not forget internal anchors
You have full control over internal links, and Google uses their anchor text to understand your pages too. Descriptive internal anchors are one of the easiest SEO wins available. Our guide on internal links vs backlinks explains how to use both.
Anchor text on discovery backlinks
Discovery backlinks from public lookup pages, such as site statistics, WHOIS and SEO analysis pages, almost always show your domain name or URL as the anchor. That is a naked URL anchor, the most neutral type. Tools like Backlink Generator create this kind of mention, so they add brand and URL anchors rather than keyword-stuffed ones. They mainly help discovery and do not guarantee rankings.
Patterns to avoid
- Buying links with exact-match commercial anchors.
- Using the same keyword anchor in every guest post or author bio.
- Hiding keyword links in themes, plugins or widgets distributed to other sites.
- Building many links to one page with identical wording in a short period.
FAQ
What percentage of anchor text should be exact match?
Google does not publish a target and no reliable universal ratio exists. Look at the pages ranking for your keyword in a backlink tool, and make sure your own profile is not dominated by one commercial phrase.
Is "click here" bad for SEO?
It will not hurt you, but it wastes an opportunity. Google recommends descriptive anchor text so users and search engines know what the linked page is about.
Can I change the anchor text of an existing backlink?
Only by asking the linking site to edit it. That is reasonable for partner or guest content you supplied, but do not pester editors to change natural links to keywords.