Written and reviewed by David Moris
David Moris is Co Founder of Editorial Backlinks and leads SEO strategy, campaign planning, quality control, reporting and long-term growth. Last reviewed July 29, 2026.
Anchor text should serve the reader
The visible link text should explain the destination naturally within the article. A journalist or editor may choose a brand name, homepage URL, report title or general descriptive phrase based on the sentence.
Exact-match pressure creates risk
Repeated commercial keyword anchors can look unnatural and may make the article harder to read. Forcing the same anchor across unrelated publications also exposes the campaign as coordinated.
Branded and homepage anchors
Brand names and homepage links are normal when the article is attributing a company or source. They can support discovery and entity recognition without pretending every mention should target a commercial service page.
Descriptive anchors for useful assets
A research report, calculator, guide or original dataset may earn descriptive anchors because the resource itself helps the reader. The wording should still be controlled by the publisher.
Review the destination page
Even a natural anchor can create poor context when it points to a thin or aggressively promotional page. Improve the destination before increasing outreach.
Set guidance, not a script
A campaign can identify preferred target pages and unacceptable anchors, but should leave the final editorial wording to the publisher.
- Prefer brand, URL and natural descriptive phrases.
- Avoid sitewide exact-match requirements.
- Do not disguise paid links as independent editorial choices.
- Record the anchor that appears on the live page.
Frequently asked questions
You can provide guidance, but the publisher should retain editorial control.
Yes. They are natural for attribution and can support brand discovery.
No. Useful research, tools, guides and the homepage may be more appropriate destinations.