The Moz Q&A Forum

    • Forum
    • Questions
    • My Q&A
    • Users
    • Ask the Community

    Welcome to the Q&A Forum

    Browse the forum for helpful insights and fresh discussions about all things SEO.

    1. SEO and Digital Marketing Q&A Forum
    2. Categories
    3. Intermediate & Advanced SEO
    4. Ideal number of Anchor text keyword variations

    Ideal number of Anchor text keyword variations

    Intermediate & Advanced SEO
    6 3 1.9k
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as question
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • RightDirection
      RightDirection last edited by

      Let's suppose that I want to rank for the keyword "hotels". If I put this keyword in ALL of the link anchor texts then Google will very likely penalize the site. My question is: How many keyword variations should I use in anchors (provided I want to rank for just one KW i.e. "hotels")? Would one keyword variation be okay and is it fine to use main keyword in 80% anchors and the keyword variation(s) in just 20% anchor texts, such as : hotels 80% cheap hotels 20% Note: I do not want to rank for "cheap hotels", just want to use it as an anchor variation of my desired keyword "hotels". Thanks!

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • HiveDigitalInc
        HiveDigitalInc last edited by

        This number varies widely based on keyword and industry. In template industries like people who sell wordpress templates or joomla templates, you can safely get 80 and 90% exact match anchor text. In other spaces, you need to keep it less than 10 or 15%.

        The easiest thing to do is look at the top 10 in your space. Determine the average percent of exact match anchor text, then make it your goal to match that percentage. More importantly, get your Overall link metrics above your competitors, so while your percentages are in line, you have more in both quantity and quality than your competitors, but all within safe proportions.

        RightDirection 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
        • RightDirection
          RightDirection @HiveDigitalInc last edited by

          "The easiest thing to do is look at the top 10 in your space. Determine the average percent of exact match anchor text, then make it your goal to match that percentage."

          Thanks for suggesting this awesome tactic!

          HiveDigitalInc 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • Guest
            Guest last edited by

            This post is deleted!
            RightDirection 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • HiveDigitalInc
              HiveDigitalInc @RightDirection last edited by

              NP

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • RightDirection
                RightDirection @Guest last edited by

                thanks.

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • 1 / 1
                • First post
                  Last post
                • Ranking without use of keywords on page & without use of matching anchor text??
                  DmitriiK
                  DmitriiK
                  0
                  3
                  58

                • Is irrelevant backlinks real? And does anchor text affect all keywords?
                  PatrickDelehanty
                  PatrickDelehanty
                  0
                  2
                  272

                • How fast to change keyword rich anchor text
                  Chris.Menke
                  Chris.Menke
                  0
                  6
                  401

                • Will aggressive use of branded keywords in anchor text attract Penguin’s wrath?
                  Dr-Pete
                  Dr-Pete
                  0
                  8
                  456

                • Create different pages with keyword variations VS. Add keyword variations in 1 page
                  lcourse
                  lcourse
                  0
                  3
                  284

                • Company name often shows in anchor text (important keyword phrase within), can this impact ranking?
                  knielsen
                  knielsen
                  1
                  3
                  318

                • Anchor text
                  augustos
                  augustos
                  0
                  3
                  704

                • Image Links Vs. Text Links, Questions About PR & Anchor Text Value
                  randfish
                  randfish
                  0
                  9
                  5.4k

                Get started with Moz Pro!

                Unlock the power of advanced SEO tools and data-driven insights.

                Start my free trial
                Products
                • Moz Pro
                • Moz Local
                • Moz API
                • Moz Data
                • STAT
                • Product Updates
                Moz Solutions
                • SMB Solutions
                • Agency Solutions
                • Enterprise Solutions
                • Digital Marketers
                Free SEO Tools
                • Domain Authority Checker
                • Link Explorer
                • Keyword Explorer
                • Competitive Research
                • Brand Authority Checker
                • Local Citation Checker
                • MozBar Extension
                • MozCast
                Resources
                • Blog
                • SEO Learning Center
                • Help Hub
                • Beginner's Guide to SEO
                • How-to Guides
                • Moz Academy
                • API Docs
                About Moz
                • About
                • Team
                • Careers
                • Contact
                Why Moz
                • Case Studies
                • Testimonials
                Get Involved
                • Become an Affiliate
                • MozCon
                • Webinars
                • Practical Marketer Series
                • MozPod
                Connect with us

                Contact the Help team

                Join our newsletter
                Moz logo
                © 2021 - 2026 SEOMoz, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved. Moz is a registered trademark of SEOMoz, Inc.
                • Accessibility
                • Terms of Use
                • Privacy