While anchor text is a powerful tool for improving SEO and signaling content relevance to search engines, overusing the same anchor text can backfire and result in penalties. When too many backlinks pointing to a website use identical or overly optimized anchor text (e.g., “best SEO services” repeatedly), search engines like Google may interpret this as an attempt to manipulate rankings. This unnatural linking pattern often triggers algorithmic filters, such as described in Google’s 2024 API document leak, leading to a drop in search rankings or even manual penalties. To avoid this, it’s essential to maintain a natural anchor text profile by diversifying keywords, using branded terms, and incorporating generic or natural phrases like “click here.”