Anchor text without the guesswork
Anchor text is the clickable part of a link. It tells readers and search engines what to expect on the other side, which is why it is so easy to overdo.
Links people create on their own usually fall into a few types:
- Brand: the company or site name.
- Plain address: the domain or full URL.
- Generic: phrases such as "this guide" or "read more".
- Descriptive: words that describe the page, sometimes including a keyword.
A natural profile is dominated by brand and address anchors. When most anchors repeat the same commercial keyword, it is a classic sign of over-optimisation and a common trigger for ranking problems.
A simple habit helps: write the sentence first, then link the words a reader would expect to click. Review the anchor report in your SEO tool once a quarter and dilute any phrase that has started to dominate.