Not all links are equal. Explore the 7 types of anchor text, from exact match to naked URLs, and learn which one fits guest posts, citations, and navigation.
As seo experts for decades, we have noticed a pattern: there are seo practitioners who treat every anchor text the same. To our knowledge, each one has a different situation, and hence there are 7 types of anchor text in the seo industry. We will explain each with an example, but before that, please visit our anchor text guide to know the basics first, or hover over our anchor text optimization guide to know the ratio and penalty risk involved.
The 7 types of anchor text
Tanot explains that there are 7 types of anchor text, and they are known as partial match, branded, naked URL, generic, exact match, semantic, and image anchors. Let’s assume that link building for seo as our target keyword and take our company into consideration
1. Partial match: This is a keyword that can be used alongside additional words. For instance, “ best link building for seo”. These are best used in editorial context, and the risk of overuse is low.
2. Exact match: This is used when you use the keyword exactly as it is. In this case, link building for seo. This type of keyword is best for editorial links and internal links, but the overuse risk can be highest.
3. Branded match: This keyword is used to mention your brand and is mostly used for making you see the bios and services pages; hence, the overuse risk is very low.
4. Naked URL: This is just the link, in this case “https://fastlinky.com”. These are used for references and resource lists, and the overuse is low here.
5. Generic text: This type of keyword is used when generic text is used, like “ learn more” or “ click here. These are basically used as calls to action, and the overuse risk is low.
6. Semantic text: This is used when the words are not the same as the keyword, but have a similar meaning; in this case, “ best link building solutions”.
7. Image text: This is used when an image acts as a clickable link; this helps the search engine understand what the image is about and provide a name to the readers.
Comparison chart
Taking link building for seo as our target keyword
| Type | Example | Best used for |
| Generic | Click here | Navigation button |
| Exact match | Link building for seo | Editorial and internal links |
| Naked URL | https://fastlinky.com | Citaions |
| Partial match | Read our detailed guide | Editorial |
| Branded | Fastlinky | Mentions and citations |
| Semantic | Best seo link building | Topical variation |
| Image | Alt text | Banners |
How to choose different types of anchor text
The psychology involved in anchor text is making sure what you want the readers to do when they click on the text with the link. Choosing the anchor text that is built around the content would be considered natural-fitting and would be helpful for readers and search engines.
Resource page use: when you want to cite a resource page, a naked URL can be the key. For instance, if we find another website link-worthy, then we might cite their resource page. We might add “TechBoom” and link to their information page.
Guest post: whenever we submit a guest post, we make sure that it does not sound overs salesly, and thus we make sure to add branded anchor text to let people know our expertise. We use text like “ our company” or “ our team”.
Inside the article: This is where the magic happens. Here we can use partial-match semantic keywords for internal and external linking. For instance, “check our anchor text optimization guide” or “ read our link building services” can link to a dedicated resource page.
Navigation: This is used inside the content when we want readers to view our services; then we use anchor text as “ learn more about our services” or “ view our case study”. This describes the action clearly to the readers.
Linked logos: When we want to link an image, then we use alt text as anchor text since that is the only thing available. For instance, if there is a Fastlinkly logo, then we can use alt text homepage as ” Fastlinkly homepage.
Remember, the key has always been wording and relevance. The anchor text should sound normal when you read it without any content surrounding it. If the wording feels natural, then that anchor text can be used; otherwise, you need to revise it. This suggestion directly comes from Google documentation.
Internal and external anchor text
Internal anchor text and external anchor text have their own share of differences. In internal anchor text, you are the boss; you control the wording, you control the text, and you control navigation for readers. So you can easily use keyword-relevant anchor text per your need. For instance, if you are writing an article on “ international link building ”, you can easily link another page with the keyword link building for seo that fits easily inside the content.
External backlinks are a different ball game, since other website owners control the wording of your content. So if a referring website has given a backlink to you but the anchor text doesn’t make any sense, then that’s treated as Google manipulation.
If you want such a link to your website, ask the owner to use a mix of partial keywords, generic phrases, and a naked URL to make it look more natural. According to the insights of Linkyjuice, the distribution should contain 30 % -50 % branded anchors, 10- 20% generic anchors, and 1-5 % exact match. These figures are derived from the insights and not from Google, so that should be treated as universal law.
The bottom line
Once you have this information, we are sure that you might view anchor text through a different lens. This digital copy has made sure that every anchor text is different and every anchor text has its own purpose. If you take our suggestion, we would encourage you to lean on partial and branded anchor text for editorial links, and use generic ones for navigation buttons, and naked URLs and others where context calls for them.
