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TL;DR: If you want rankings that stick in 2025, prioritize branded anchors first, keep exact-match anchors rare, and fill the middle with topical/partial-match anchors. This mix keeps your backlink profile natural, resilient, and aligned with modern spam policies while still moving the needle.
I’m Benjamin Hübner, founder of IMdominator. I’ve worked online since 2007—freelancing, crypto, affiliate marketing, and product creation—and it took a full year to earn my first commission. Since then, consistency and smart SEO have added up to six-figure revenue, and one lesson stands out: your anchor text mix can make or break your rankings.
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Most people overuse exact-match anchors and underuse brand. That’s a fast way to paint a target on your site. My playbook is simple: go heavy on branded, keep exact match minimal, and use partial or topical anchors to signal relevance without tripping spam systems.
In this guide, I’ll show you the exact mix I use, why it works for small and growing sites, and a checklist you can implement today. There’s also a short video walkthrough embedded below if you prefer to watch.
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Short answer: Branded anchors first, partial/topical anchors second, exact-match as a rare seasoning. On most sites, branded anchors can comfortably be the majority of your profile, partial/topical anchors make up a meaningful chunk, and exact-match stays in the single digits.
Branded anchors: Often 40 to 70 percent is a healthy range for small to mid-sized sites.
Exact-match anchors: Keep them low—ideally under 5 to 10 percent, unless you’re a large brand with a massive, diverse link graph.
“Branded anchors are by far the number one type of anchor text I use — 50 percent or more.”
For most non-enterprise sites, branded anchors should dominate. This mirrors how the open web naturally links to real businesses and people. Branded signals build trust, reduce volatility during updates, and let you take small, strategic shots with exact-match later.
Think of brand anchors as your safety net: they stabilize your profile and make every other link type safer to deploy. Use variations such as your brand name, brand plus URL, brand plus a light descriptor, and naked URLs.
“Exact match is less than 5 to 10 percent for me.”
Key Takeaways
Lead with branded anchors to keep your profile natural and resilient.
Use partial/topical anchors to build relevance without over-optimizing.
Keep exact-match anchors rare and intentional.
Match anchor intent to the linked page’s purpose and content.
Audit anchor distributions regularly and adjust before issues arise.
Use exact-match only when it fits editorially and contextually. Aim for placements where the surrounding content clearly supports the query and the page solves that query. Prioritize high-quality, relevant pages, mix up your exact-match variants, and consider brand-plus-keyword hybrids to soften the signal.
Pro tip: Reserve most exact-match anchors for internal links where you control the context and can precisely match the page’s intent. For external links, favor blended or topical anchors unless you have strong editorial justification.
Topical/partial-match anchors include synonyms, long-tail variations, entities, and problem-solution phrases related to your target topic. They’re semantically aligned without being exact copies. Pull ideas from your Search Console queries, on-page H2s/H3s, and competitor SERPs to stay aligned with real search language.
Helpful resources for policy and best practices:
“If you can’t afford risk, go heavy on brand and topical anchors.”
Use this quick checklist to tune your anchor profile without guesswork:
Audit your current anchors: categorize each as branded, URL/naked, exact, partial/topical, or generic.
Set your target mix: majority branded and URL/naked, meaningful partial/topical, minimal exact-match.
Map anchors to pages: choose one primary topical theme per page and align partial anchors to it.
Prioritize quality placements: pursue links from relevant pages with clear editorial context.
Blend anchors naturally: use brand plus keyword, synonyms, and question-style anchors.
Favor internal links for precision: use more exact-match internally where intent is perfectly aligned.
Monitor and adjust monthly: track anchor ratios and nudge toward your target mix as new links land.
Stay policy-aligned: avoid manipulative patterns and keep anchors reflective of real user language.
Anchor text strategy in 2025 is about risk management and relevance. Lead with branded anchors to signal trust, support your pages with topical anchors to earn relevance, and keep exact-match rare and situational. If you’re not a massive brand with a wide link graph, err on the side of brand-heavy. Follow the checklist, keep your anchors contextual, and you’ll build a durable profile that can weather updates while still climbing the SERPs.
Branded anchors and naked URLs are the safest foundation for most sites. They mimic natural linking behavior and reduce over-optimization risk.
For most small to mid-sized sites, keep exact-match in the low single digits to under 10 percent. Focus on context quality more than hitting a fixed number.
Yes. They deliver relevance without the red flags of exact-match. Use synonyms, long-tails, and entity phrases that match how users actually search.
Usually no. Homepages are best for brand building. Save exact-match for targeted internal pages with content that answers the query.
Absolutely. Internal anchors are a safe way to reinforce relevance when they precisely match the page’s topic and intent.
Yes. Dilute with branded, URL, and topical anchors, improve link quality, and remove or disavow clearly manipulative links if necessary.
Short-term wins can flip during updates. A brand-first, context-rich profile is more resilient and converts better over time.
Use Google Search Console queries, your page’s headings, People Also Ask questions, and SERP competitor phrasing.
Yes, but context matters more than ever. Anchors should reflect natural language and the target page’s purpose, not just keywords.
Audit your last 50 links, categorize anchors, and plan your next 20 to skew brand-first with smarter topical variety.
Prefer to watch? Here’s the quick breakdown on anchor text prioritization:
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