Analyze anchor text distribution from any HTML or URL. Categorizes links into exact match, partial match, branded, generic, naked URL, image, and empty anchors. Flags over-optimization with actionable recommendations and CSV export.
Paste raw HTML from any page, or enter a URL to fetch via proxy. The tool extracts all anchor tags and their text content, including links with images (where alt text is used as the anchor) and empty anchors with no text.
Every anchor is classified into one of 7 types: Exact Match (target keyword as anchor), Partial Match (keyword within anchor), Branded (brand name anchors), Generic (click here, read more), Naked URL (URL as anchor), Image (linked images), and Empty (no text). A distribution chart shows the percentage of each type.
The tool compares your anchor distribution against healthy SEO benchmarks and flags over-optimization warnings. If exact-match anchors exceed 20%, a penalty risk alert is shown. Export the full anchor table as CSV for reporting.
Anchor text tells search engines what a linked page is about. A natural backlink profile mixes branded anchors ("Visiblytics"), generic anchors ("click here"), naked URLs, and some keyword-rich anchors. A profile dominated by exact-match keyword anchors (e.g. 40%+ "best SEO tools") triggers Google Penguin filters, which assess anchor text patterns in real time as part of the core algorithm. The sweet spot for keyword-rich anchors is 10–20% of your total anchor profile.
An exact match anchor uses your precise target keyword as the clickable text — for example, if you are targeting "SEO audit tools" and most links say exactly "SEO audit tools". While relevant, an unnaturally high proportion signals link manipulation. Google confirmed in the Penguin 4.0 update (2016) that anchor text is now evaluated at the individual link level rather than just site-wide, making sudden spikes in exact match anchors from low-quality sites particularly risky.
Empty anchors are links that have no readable text — either because they wrap only an image without alt text, use CSS-hidden text, or have genuinely blank content. These provide no topical signal to search engines about the destination page. They are not penalised, but they represent wasted link equity. Fix them by adding descriptive anchor text or descriptive alt attributes to linked images.
Industry benchmarks suggest: Branded anchors 30–40% (your brand name in various forms), Generic anchors 20–30% (click here, read more, learn more), Naked URLs 10–20% (yourdomain.com), Partial match 10–20% (keyword in a longer phrase), Exact match 5–15% (pure target keyword), Image anchors variable, Empty anchors 0–5%. These benchmarks apply to external backlink profiles. Internal linking can tolerate higher keyword density in anchors.
This tool analyses any links found in the HTML you provide — both internal and external. For internal link analysis, paste your page HTML. For backlink anchor analysis, paste the HTML of a page that links to you (from a tool like Screaming Frog export or browser view-source). For a complete backlink anchor profile across your entire domain, tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush are more comprehensive since they index links from across the web.
An exact match anchor uses your target keyword verbatim — no additional words. A partial match anchor contains your target keyword within a longer phrase. For example, if your keyword is "content marketing": exact match = "content marketing", partial match = "content marketing strategy for 2024" or "learn about content marketing best practices". Partial match anchors are more natural and less likely to trigger over-optimisation filters while still passing topical relevance signals.
