<b>Exact-match anchors above ~6% of profile correlate with flat or negative movement</b>

<b>Exact-match anchors above ~6% of profile correlate with flat or negative movement</b>

Across 2,300 link profiles (11-month window, observational), plotting exact-match anchor share against ranking outcomes:

Gains rise as exact-match climbs from 0% to ~5%, then the curve bends. Past roughly 6-8%, the median ranking delta goes flat and the variance widens sharply — more big losers, fewer steady gains.

The healthiest profiles in the sample sat at 2-4% exact-match, 60%+ branded/URL anchors.

Directional — anchor share co-moves with link quality, so this isn't pure causation.

<b>Keep exact-match anchors under 5% of total and let branded anchors carry the rest.</b>