Partial Match Anchor

An anchor that contains the target keyword plus additional words. Safer than exact match.

In brief

A partial match anchor is anchor text that includes the target keyword (or its morphological forms) together with other words (e.g., 'professional SEO audit' for the keyword 'SEO audit'). This anchor type is considered more natural than exact match and reduces the risk of over‑optimisation.

What is a partial match anchor

An anchor where the target keyword is part of the phrase but not the only content. This helps search engines understand the link’s topic without raising suspicion of artificiality.

Examples

Target: 'SEO services' → anchor: 'SEO services in Moscow'
Target: 'buy iPhone' → anchor: 'buy iPhone 15 Pro'
Target: 'WordPress hosting' → anchor: 'best WordPress hosting'

Advantages

Safer than exact match — looks natural.
Retains relevance — search engines understand the topic.
Easy to vary, avoiding monotony.

Optimal share of partial match anchors in a backlink profile is 10–15%. The rest should be branded, generic, naked URLs, and natural phrases.

Variations (example: 'SEO audit')

website SEO audit
order SEO audit
professional SEO audit
SEO audit in Moscow
comprehensive SEO audit

Partial match works even if the keyword is not at the beginning: 'order a professional SEO audit' is as effective as 'professional SEO audit'.

FAQ

Common questions

Yes, Google understands morphology. 'SEO auditing', 'SEO audits' also count as partial matches.

Branded anchor contains the brand name (often without the keyword). Partial match includes the target keyword plus other words; the brand may be absent.

If more than 30–40% of all anchors are partial match (especially with the same keyword), it’s risky. Diversity is key.

Partial Match Anchor

What is a partial match anchor

Examples

Advantages

Recommended share

Variations (example: 'SEO audit')

Common questions

Discuss your project?