Anchor-list is a list of all variants of anchor-text, which are used in internal or external linking. It is necessary for systematic work with SEO and protection of the site from overoptimization. Anchors – one of the factors that help search engines to understand what the page to which the link leads. But if you do not work properly with anchors can not improve, and worsen the position.
Google since the time of the first PageRank analyzes the text of the link to compare it with the content of the landing page. Therefore, the anchor “buy sneakers” tells the search engine much more than a link with the text “here”. But if dozens of similar anchor-texts like “buy sneakers” lead to the page, algorithms may recognize it as spam and over-optimization. In 2012, the Penguin algorithm began penalizing sites with “over-spammed” anchors, and the principles still apply.
An anchor list helps to avoid these problems. It is needed to track the diversity of texts, to understand which keys are already covered and which are used too often. Maintaining an anchor list allows you to balance the types of links: exact match, partial match, branded, non-anchored and URL links.
Within a site, an anchor list helps maintain a natural structure and promote pages for the right queries. For example, if one article receives 10 internal links with the same anchor, Google may overestimate the importance of this key – but not the topic as a whole. And if the anchors are diverse, a full-fledged semantic profile of the page is created.
How to keep an anchor list: it is best to keep a table or a database where URL, anchor, anchor type and frequency of use are recorded. Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, Netpeak Spider and even Google Sheets with filters are great tools for this. This helps you quickly find overused anchors, identify blind spots, and update your strategy without too much manual labor.
Anchor list is not a tool for ticking boxes, but for systematic SEO, especially in conjunction with internal linking. Maintaining it is a simple step towards sustainable search traffic growth.