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Link building

Anchor text ratio

What is anchor text ratio?

Anchor text ratio is the distribution of anchor types across your backlink profile. A safe profile is usually 40–60% branded, 20–30% generic or naked URL, and under 10% exact-match commercial anchors.

Why it matters

Ratios are directional, not rules. Sites in competitive niches with older, trusted profiles tolerate more exact-match anchors than new domains do.

Audit ratios per landing page, not just sitewide: a single money page taking 30 exact-match anchors is riskier than the sitewide average suggests.

Related terms

  • Anchor text

    Anchor text is the visible, clickable words of a hyperlink. It gives both readers and search engines a strong hint about

  • Over-optimisation

    Over-optimisation is pushing SEO tactics past the point of naturalness — repeated exact-match anchors, keyword stuffing,

  • Link velocity

    Link velocity is the rate at which a site gains new backlinks over time. Sudden, unexplained spikes are a common spam si

Cite this definition

Guest Post Website. “Anchor text ratio.” Guest Posting & SEO Glossary. https://guestpostwebsite.com/glossary/anchor-text-ratio