Anchor Text is the clickable text used in a hyperlink. Search engines use anchor text to understand what the linked page is about. Natural anchor text usually includes brand names, page titles, URLs, and generic phrases such as "click here." A large number of keyword-heavy anchors can indicate manipulative link building.
Anchor Distribution is the overall mix of anchor texts used in backlinks pointing to a domain or URL. A natural backlink profile usually includes branded anchors, URLs, generic phrases, and some keyword-based anchors. Reviewing anchor distribution helps identify over-optimization and spam patterns.
View definitionUnnatural Anchors are backlink anchor texts that appear excessively optimized or irrelevant to the linked website. Common examples include repeated exact-match keywords and spam phrases. Large numbers of unnatural anchors can indicate manipulative link building.
View definitionAnchor Spam refers to a backlink profile with a large number of unnatural or low-quality anchor texts. Common examples include repeated exact-match keywords, foreign-language terms, and spam phrases related to gambling, adult content, or pharmaceuticals. Anchor spam can indicate manipulative link building or a previously abused domain.
View definitionDefinitions of the most important terms used across the domain industry.