Anapole states are broadly investigated in nanophotonics for their ability to provide field enhancement and transparency. While low extinction has been achieved in dielectric nanoparticles due to the absence of intrinsic losses, in the case of plasmonic nanostructures this is still elusive. In this talk, we will present recent findings on anapole states in planar plasmonic nanostructures that were optimized for near-fieldenergy enhancement using a topology optimization approach. The optimized structures exhibit an anapole state with characteristic properties in the visible regime including weak absorption, high near-field enhancement outside the structure, and strong suppression of scattering. We use our multipole analysis to explain both thenear-field and the far-field features of the anapole state possessed by the nanostructures. Because of the low inter-coupling at the anapole state, the nanostructures act as individual meta-atoms that preserve their optical response even when used in highly packed metasurfaces and metamaterials. Due to their transparency while providing field enhancement, anapoles might be combined with waveguides in integrated optical platforms to unlock advanced functionalities for sensing, nonlinear optics, and optical information processing.