ANCHOR TEXT CHECKER
Find out if your anchor text will get you penalised.
Paste one anchor per line. We classify each into branded, partial-match, exact-match, naked URL or generic, then compare your split to the bands link auditors actually recommend.
Runs in your browser. Your anchor list is never uploaded.
Used to spot branded anchors. Optional but it changes the answer a lot.
Comma separated. Exact-match detection needs these.
Distribution
RecommendedYour brand or domain name. Should be the largest slice — real editors link to names.
Your keyword inside a longer, natural phrase. The workhorse of a healthy profile.
Your target keyword, verbatim. The one type that gets a site penalised when it dominates.
The bare URL. Common in citations, directories and forum posts.
"Click here", "read more", "this article". Harmless filler.
Paste some anchors and the breakdown appears here.
The honest caveat
These bands are what experienced link auditors recommend, not thresholds Google publishes. Google has never named a safe percentage and never will. A tool that tells you you're at exactly 7.3% risk is making that number up. Treat this as a way to spot an obvious footprint, not a compliance check.
A clean anchor profile still needs links worth having. Linkova shows every publisher's price next to the market median, so you can see what you're paying for.
How the anchor text checker works
What an anchor text checker does
An anchor text checker reads the clickable text of your backlinks and sorts every anchor into a type: branded, naked URL, generic, partial match, exact match or image. It then shows what share each type makes up, so you can see at a glance whether one phrase dominates your link profile.
Search engines use anchor text to work out what a linked page is about. That is why a profile made almost entirely of exact-match keyword anchors looks engineered, while a natural one is mostly brand names, bare URLs and loose phrases.
Healthy anchor text distribution
These are the shares link auditors commonly treat as a natural profile. They are the same bands the checker above compares your anchors against.
| Anchor type | Example | Typical share |
|---|---|---|
| Branded | Acme | 30–60% |
| Naked URL | acme.com | 10–25% |
| Generic | click here | 5–20% |
| Partial match | best returns software for ecommerce | 10–30% |
| Exact match | returns software | 0–10% |
| Image / empty | (image link, no text) | 0–15% |
How to check the anchor text of your backlinks
- Export your backlinks with their anchor text. Google Search Console's Links report, Ahrefs, Semrush and Moz all list it.
- Paste one anchor per line. Add your brand name, your domain and your target keywords so branded and exact-match anchors are detected.
- Read the distribution. Each type is compared with the usual band, and the tool flags an exact-match share above 10%, a missing brand share, or a single anchor that repeats too often.
What to do with the result
If exact-match anchors run too high, do not remove links. Add new ones with branded, partial-match and naked URL anchors until the split moves back towards the bands above.
If one anchor repeats across many links, vary the wording on your next placements. The bands are a rule of thumb from link auditors, not thresholds Google publishes, so treat the result as a prompt to look closer, not a verdict.
Anchor text checker FAQ
- What is anchor text?
- Anchor text is the clickable, visible text of a link. In a backlink, it is the words a publisher chooses to link to your page with.
- What is a safe exact-match anchor text percentage?
- Most link auditors keep exact-match anchors under about 10% of a profile, with branded anchors as the largest share. This is a rule of thumb, not a limit Google publishes.
- How do I check the anchor text of my backlinks?
- Export your backlinks with anchors from Google Search Console, Ahrefs, Semrush or Moz, paste one anchor per line into the checker, and read the split by anchor type.
- Is this anchor text analyzer free?
- Yes. There is no sign-up, and it runs in your browser, so your anchor list is never uploaded.
- Can anchor text get a site penalised?
- Over-optimised anchor text is a common trigger for manual link reviews, especially when exact-match keyword anchors dominate. A natural mix of branded, URL and generic anchors carries far less risk.