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Tools & Analytics · Guide #24

Anchor Analysis

Analyze the anchor text distribution across your internal links — detect over-optimized anchors, find generic text like “click here,” and ensure natural diversity for better SEO.

⏱ 4 min read 👤 Intermediate 📦 v6.0+

Where to Find This Tab

Go to SEO Rank Genius → Tools & Analytics → Anchor Analysis (seventh tab under the “Tools” group).

Anchor Text Distribution

The top chart shows a breakdown of all anchor text used in internal links across your site, categorized by type:

Exact match (60%)
Partial match (30%)
Generic (10%)
TypeExamplesSEO Impact
Exact Match“SEO plugin”, “internal linking”Strongest signal. Don’t overuse — aim for 40–60%.
Partial Match“best SEO tools for WordPress”Good variety. Natural and diverse.
Generic“click here”, “read more”, “this article”Weak signal. Keep below 15%.
Branded“SEO Rank Genius”, your brand nameNatural for homepage links. 5–15% is healthy.

Per-URL Breakdown

Click any destination URL to see all the different anchor texts pointing to it. This helps you identify:

  • Pages where the same exact anchor is used repeatedly (over-optimization risk)
  • Important pages with only generic anchors (missed keyword opportunity)
  • Natural anchor diversity for your top-performing content

Warning Flags

The plugin automatically flags potential issues:

  • Over-optimized — Same exact anchor used more than 5 times for one URL
  • Too generic — More than 20% of anchors are generic phrases
  • Missing diversity — A URL has fewer than 3 unique anchor text variations

Best Practices

  • Aim for 3–5 different anchor text variations per target URL
  • Use exact-match anchors sparingly (40–60% of total)
  • Replace “click here” with descriptive, keyword-rich text
  • Enable Anchor Rotation in General Settings for automatic diversity