Anchor text is the clickable text of a hyperlink. For SEO, anchor text signals to Google what the destination page is about. A natural, diversified anchor text profile is a sign of genuine links. A profile with too many exact-match anchors is a sign of manipulation.
A healthy anchor text profile includes:
- Branded anchors: "Netlinks", "the Netlinks website". These should be the majority (30-50%).
- Naked URLs: "netlinks.com.br". Normal and frequent (10-20%).
- Generic: "click here", "learn more", "read the article". Common and natural (15-25%).
- Exact-match keywords: "SEO agency". These should be a minority (5-10%).
- Partial-match/keyword variations: "agency specializing in SEO in BH". Moderate (10-15%).
The most common mistake is forcing exact-match keyword anchor text into every link. That is a clear manipulation signal to Google. Natural links have anchor diversity, and that diversity is exactly what you should aim for.