This translation has not been editorially reviewed yet. The German version is authoritative. Deutsche Fassung
SEO
Why “click here” costs points as link text
Search engines read the text of a link as a description of the landing page, reading software often reads it detached from the sentence around it. A link with the text “click here” says nothing in both cases. The SEO check area counts the links without talking text on each measured page and lists up to five documents with a goal. The same rule stands for Lighthouse as link-text and for Google under the basics: Keywords belong in titles, headings, alternative texts and link texts.
What exactly is checked
Each link with a target is read: its visible text, otherwise its aria-label, otherwise the alternative text of an image in the link. Three cases count as a link without statement: no text, a phrase such as “here”, “click here”, “more”, “find out more”, “continue reading”, “click here” or “read more”, and an address as text, such as “https://...” or “www....”. Jump marks within the page, mail and telephone links remain outside, as well as links hidden with aria-hidden for read-out software, such as a photo tile next to the identical title link. One or two such links cost half of the four points, from three all four. The evidence in the report shows the text and the goal so that the job can be found without searching.
This is how a link text will speak
The text mentions the subject of the goal: “Price list as PDF”, “Agree dates”, “Opening hours of the Graz branch”. He stands for himself, even if someone only gets read the links of one page. For image links, the alternative text of the image carries this task. Replace a nude address with the title of the landing page. The sentence around it may contain "here", the link itself not: "The price list can be found here" becomes "The price list as PDF".
Why this is also accessibility
WCAG 2.4.4 requires that the purpose of a link is derived from the link text or its context. The accessibility check area checks the same from the point of view of the read-out software. Who cleans up the link texts for search engines, fulfills both with one handle.
- View all links of a page in a list: Read-out software offers this, browser extensions as well. Every entry that says nothing without the sentence around it gets a new text.
- Check the templates in the editorial system: “Read more” buttons under teasers take the title of the article into the link text or into an aria label.
- Image links, such as logos and tiles, get an alternative text with the goal: “Zur Startseite”, “produktseite Kaffeemühle K3”.
- Replace naked addresses in the flow text with the title of the landing page; The address remains in the href.
