Un lien en avec un onclick peut-il transmettre du PageRank ?

Non. Seules les balises avec un attribut href transmettent du PageRank. Un ou un cliquable n'a aucune valeur SEO pour le maillage interne, même si Google parvient à le suivre.

Why does Google emphasize the importance of using <a> tags for links?

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Official statement

To ensure indexing by Google, it is advised to use 'a' tags for links instead of other elements like 'span' or 'div' which can cause crawling issues.

41:42

🎥 Source video

Extracted from a Google Search Central video

⏱ 1h06 💬 EN 📅 31/10/2018 ✂ 10 statements

Watch on YouTube (41:42) →

✂ Other statements from this video 9 ▾

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Official statement from October 31, 2018 (7 years ago)

⚠ A more recent statement exists on this topic Is Google Really Changing How Links Appear in Its Generative AI to Drive More Cl... Google · September 2, 2025 View statement →

TL;DR

Google reminds us that links should use the HTML <a> tag instead of elements like <span> or <div> that are turned into links via JavaScript. This recommendation aims to ensure that Googlebot can properly detect and follow all links on a site. In practice, many modern frameworks generate non-standard links that can block crawling and fragment internal linking, directly impacting indexing.

What you need to understand

What distinguishes a classic HTML link from a fake link?

A classic HTML link uses the tag. This has been the web standard for decades, and it is what Googlebot expects by default. When the crawler encounters this tag, it instantly extracts the destination URL and adds it to its crawl queue.

A fake link is an element like or

made clickable via JavaScript with an onclick event listener. Visually, users see no difference. Technically, Googlebot must first execute the JavaScript, interpret the event, and attempt to reconstruct the target URL. This works sometimes, but it is fragile and consumes crawl resources.

What has led to the rise of these practices?

The explosion of Single Page Applications (SPA) and JavaScript frameworks like React, Vue, or Angular has popularized patterns where everything, including navigation, relies on client-side code. Developers create clickable components without always adhering to standard HTML semantics.

Some modern design patterns also use

to create clickable cards or elaborate navigation buttons. The problem is that without an tag, these elements are invisible to a crawler that does not execute JavaScript or adheres strictly to the allocated crawl budget.

What is the concrete risk to indexing?

If Googlebot does not detect your internal links, it cannot discover deep pages on your site. You may end up with entire orphaned sections, accessible only via XML sitemap but never crawled naturally.

Internal linking loses its effectiveness entirely. Internal PageRank does not circulate correctly. Strategic pages remain unindexed or poorly positioned simply because the crawler never found them through valid link paths.

Googlebot prioritizes tags with an href attribute to identify links
JavaScript links require full page rendering, which consumes crawl budget
or
clickable elements do not pass PageRank even if Google ends up following them
A site with an internal linking structure based on fake links risks partial or incomplete indexing

SEO Expert opinion

Is this recommendation really new?

No. Google has been repeating this advice since at least 2015, and it has always been a fundamental rule of technical SEO. Martin Splitt emphasizes it again because the problem persists and worsens with the widespread use of modern JavaScript frameworks.

What changes is that Googlebot handles JavaScript better than before. Some developers incorrectly conclude that they can take liberties with HTML standards. The result is that we still see major e-commerce sites with entire navigation menus in clickable

Do all tags hold the same value for Google?

Not quite. An tag without an href attribute is not considered a link by Googlebot. Some frameworks generate tags that use onclick without href, which is the same issue as a clickable .

When can we tolerate exceptions?

For pure UI interactions that do not correspond to navigation (modal openings, accordions, tabs), using

Practical impact and recommendations

How can I check if my site uses fake links?

First step: disable JavaScript in your browser and navigate your site. If links stop working or sections become inaccessible, you have a problem. This is exactly what a crawler sees when it does not execute JavaScript.

Use tools like Screaming Frog in "no JavaScript" mode or Oncrawl to compare the link graph with and without JS rendering. If you notice significant discrepancies in the number of detected links, your internal linking relies too much on JavaScript.

What should be prioritized for correction?

Focus first on the main navigation: menu, breadcrumb, pagination. These elements must absolutely use tags with valid hrefs. It is through them that Googlebot discovers the architecture of your site.

Next, examine internal links in editorial content, product cards, and CTAs. Any element that should pass PageRank or allow page discovery must be a classic HTML link. Secondary action buttons (social sharing, filters) can remain in JavaScript if necessary.

How to implement this with a modern framework?

Most frameworks offer declarative routing components that generate valid tags. In React, use from React Router or Next.js instead of

with onClick. In Vue, does the job. In Angular, routerLink generates the correct tags.

Check the final HTML generated on the server side (SSR) or during hydration. The principle is that even without JavaScript, links should be present and functional in the source code. If your framework generates content only on the client side, switch to SSR or SSG (Static Site Generation) to ensure indexability.