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warningSEO RULE · R27

Weak link text: why "click here" and "read more" hurt SEO

Anchor text — the visible text inside an <a> tag — is one of the strongest ranking signals Google has about the destination page. "Click here" and "read more" waste that signal. Use descriptive anchor text that names the topic.

Anchor text — the visible text inside an <a> tag — is one of the strongest ranking signals Google has about the destination page. "Click here" and "read more" waste that signal. Use descriptive anchor text that names the topic. Anchor text is the clickable, visible text of a link. Good anchor text describes the destination ("the 2025 SMB SEO benchmark report"); weak anchor text is content-free ("click here", "this article", "more →").

Last updated·part of the 50-rule library

What it is

Anchor text is the clickable, visible text of a link. Good anchor text describes the destination ("the 2025 SMB SEO benchmark report"); weak anchor text is content-free ("click here", "this article", "more →").

Why it matters

Google leans heavily on anchor text to decide what queries the linked page should rank for. A page that has 50 inbound internal links all reading "click here" gets no topic signal. The same 50 links with descriptive text point Google at the page's topic precisely.

How to fix it

  1. Rewrite generic anchors site-wide. Find "click here", "read more", "this article", "learn more" — replace with the destination topic in 3–8 words.
  2. Avoid keyword-stuffing the anchor. "Best cheap running shoes for men 2025 buy online" is spam. Natural language that names the topic is the goal.
  3. Vary anchors for the same destination. If 100 pages link to the same target, don't use identical anchor text 100 times. Vary phrasing while keeping the topic clear.
  4. Apply the same rule to button text. "Submit" → "Send my audit". "Continue" → "Save changes". Buttons are CTA links — descriptive text wins.

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