This is the August 2026 edition of the Anchor Text Optimizer benchmarks. Every figure below comes only from scans run inside that month, and none of them will change again — a rate you quote today will still be at this address years from now. For the current picture, go back to the tool's own page: that one is refreshed at every revision, and this one never is.
How the scores fell
This is how 1,170 scans spread across the five score bands in August 2026. Most results sit in the middle bands, which means sites differ here by degree rather than by whether they bothered at all.
- 0–19
- 20–39
- 40–59
- 60–79
- 80–100
| Score band | Anchor Text |
|---|---|
| 0–19 | 1% · 9 |
| 20–39 | 1% · 16 |
| 40–59 | 3% · 34 |
| 60–79 | 61% · 719 |
| 80–100 | 34% · 392 |
| Total runs | 1,170 |
Where sites got stuck
The checks that did not pass in Anchor Text Optimizer scans during August 2026. What each check means and what to do about it is on the tool's own benchmark page; this page is the record of the month.
| Check | Did not pass | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| No empty / textless links | 64% | Hard fail |
| Some branded anchors | 34% | Partial |
| Mostly descriptive anchor text | 4% | Hard fail |
| Low share of generic anchors | 3% | Partial |
The weakest areas that month
This month’s sample
In August 2026 the Anchor Text Optimizer recorded 1,170 successful scans across 1,031 unique domains. Across the whole series that month there were 34,236 scans covering 5,586 sites.
How the sample is collected, how it is anonymized and where the method's limits lie govern the whole series, so they are set out once in the methodology on the hub.
| Tool | Domain endings in the sample |
|---|---|
| Anchor Text | .com 59% · .io 9% · .org 7% · .net 3% · other 21% |
Frequently asked questions
What was the median Anchor Text Optimizer score in August 2026?
In August 2026 the median was 79/100 and the mean was 80.4. 34% of scans reached 80 or above. These figures are frozen and will not change.
Which check failed most often in August 2026?
“No empty / textless links”, which did not pass in 64% of scans, followed by “Some branded anchors” at 34%.
Why is this page never updated?
Because a dated record is only useful if it stays put. Someone citing the August 2026 figures today has to find the same numbers at the same URL years from now. For the current picture, see this tool's own benchmark page, where the figures are refreshed at every revision.
Citing this edition
The figures on this page are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Suggested citation: SeoMods — Anchor Text Optimizer benchmarks, August 2026 edition, https://seomods.com/seo-score-benchmarks/anchor-text-optimizer/august-2026.