Why do anchors like 'Click here' really harm your SEO?

What signal do link anchors really send to search engines?

Text anchors act as semantic labels that Googlebot reads to interpret the relationship between two pages. When you link with the anchor 'on-page optimization techniques,' you send a clear signal: the target page is about on-page optimization. The search engine cross-references this signal with other factors (page content, structure, surrounding context) to refine its thematic understanding.

A generic anchor like 'Click here' conveys no actionable information. The crawler must then rely solely on the surrounding text context (the sentence, the paragraph) to guess the topic of the target page. This is doable, but significantly less effective. You lose the opportunity to strengthen the topical coherence of your site and to accurately qualify your pages in Google's eyes.

Why is Google so insistent on this specific point?

Historically, anchors have played a central role in the PageRank algorithm and its developments. They allowed for the distribution of thematic 'juice' between pages. With the emergence of semantic models like BERT and now AI-based systems, Google better understands the overall context. However, anchors remain a direct, unambiguous signal that the engine prefers to map out a site's thematic topology.

By using generic anchors, you fragment this signal. Your pages lose thematic authority because internal links no longer reinforce key semantic associations. On a site with 500 pages and dense linking, the cumulative impact can become measurable in terms of positioning on long-tail queries.

Which anchors are considered insufficiently descriptive?

Google obviously targets 'Click here', but also 'Learn more', 'Read more', 'This article', 'This page', 'See here'. All these phrases are neutral, interchangeable, and carry no semantic weight. They often appear in default CMS templates, generic call-to-action buttons, or poorly configured automated links.

The problem worsens when these generic anchors are heavily used in internal linking. On a blog that systematically links its articles with 'Read more', each link becomes a void signal. In contrast, an anchor like 'optimize mobile loading speed' immediately qualifies the target and strengthens the thematic cluster around web performance.

• Generic anchors to avoid: 'Click here', 'Learn more', 'Read the article', 'This page', 'Here'.
• Optimal anchors: descriptive, concise (3-6 words), including a relevant keyword without over-optimization.
• Context also matters: even with a descriptive anchor, the surrounding text must be coherent to reinforce the signal.
• Necessary balance: vary anchors on the same subject to avoid exact repetition (risk of automated footprint).
• External links: a descriptive anchor also helps Google qualify your page as a relevant source on the related topic.

Is this guideline consistent with field observations?

Yes, and tests have confirmed this for years. Sites that transition from generic anchors to descriptive anchors often see a measurable improvement on niche queries, especially in long-tail. The effect is particularly noticeable on sites with a high volume of pages (e-commerce, media, technical documentation) where internal linking represents a crucial means of distributing internal PageRank.

But let's be honest: the impact of an isolated anchor is marginal. It's the systemic coherence that makes the difference. A site correcting 500 'Click here' anchors to descriptive ones while maintaining a clean silo structure and high-quality content will see a cumulative effect. A site that merely changes 10 anchors without revising its overall linking strategy will likely see no change.

What nuances should be added to this rule?

First nuance: accessibility. Screen readers and visually impaired users heavily depend on anchors to navigate. An anchor 'Click here' followed by clear visual context (image, adjacent title) is not an issue for a sighted user but becomes unusable for a screen reader that reads links out of context. Optimizing your anchors for SEO thus also enhances the user experience for individuals with disabilities.

Second nuance: over-optimization. Multiplying exact anchors with the same target keyword can trigger anti-spam filters, especially in external linking. Google detects unnatural patterns. Varying formulations (synonyms, related phrases, partial anchors) remains essential. A descriptive anchor does not mean a keyword-stuffed anchor.

In what cases can this rule be relaxed?

For certain interface elements, generic anchors remain acceptable: navigation buttons ('Next', 'Previous'), pagination links, visually identified action buttons ('Download', 'Sign up'). Google understands that these structural elements have a UI function, not a semantic qualification function.

However, once a link appears in the editorial body (article, product sheet, service page), the anchor must be descriptive. No exceptions. A contextual link is an opportunity to qualify, and Google expects you to leverage it. [To verify]: the exact impact of generic anchors on external outgoing links to third-party sites remains difficult to quantify precisely, but the principle of semantic coherence likely applies as well.

What should you actually do to clean up your anchors?

First step: audit your internal linking. Use Screaming Frog, Oncrawl, or Sitebulb to extract all your internal links with their anchors. Filter out generic anchors ('Click here', 'Learn more', 'Read more'). You will obtain a precise table of the total volume of affected links. On a site with 300 pages, it is not uncommon to find 200 to 500 occurrences of empty anchors.

Second step: prioritize corrections. Focus first on strategic pages (pillar content, key product pages, high-value landing pages). A link from a high internal authority page to a strategic target page deserves an optimized descriptive anchor. Secondary links (sidebar, footer) can be addressed later.

What mistakes should be avoided when rewriting anchors?

Common mistake: turning 'Click here' into a clumsy anchor like 'best cheap SEO software 2025'. You toggle from one extreme to another. Google detects these obviously optimized anchors, especially if they repeat identically across multiple pages. Aim for natural anchors that are integrated into the reading flow and provide value to the reader.

Another pitfall: neglecting the textual context around the link. An anchor 'optimization techniques' placed in the middle of an incoherent paragraph achieves nothing. The engine also reads the 50 words before and after the link to confirm semantic relevance. Take care with the introductory sentence and the transition to ensure the link feels natural.

How can you check the effectiveness of your corrections?

Monitor the progress of your long-tail positions on the pages targeted by the new links. Use Google Search Console to track queries that generate impressions but few clicks: an improvement in internal linking with descriptive anchors can push these pages from position 15 to position 8, a visibility threshold.

Also compare the internal click-through rate before and after. If your anchors are more explicit, users click more, sending positive behavioral signals back to Google. A crawler doesn't click, but a human does, and these engagement metrics indirectly influence ranking.

• Extract all internal links with a SEO crawler and filter generic anchors.
• Rewrite anchors incorporating a relevant descriptive keyword (3-6 words maximum).
• Vary formulations to avoid exact repetitions (synonyms, related phrases).
• Ensure the textual context around the link reinforces semantic coherence.
• Also audit outgoing anchors to maintain overall coherence.
• Track the evolution of positions and traffic on the affected pages via Search Console.