Descriptive Link Signal Test
The Descriptive Link Test inspects every anchor (<a>) on a page and grades its visible text against SEO and accessibility guidelines. Links with text like "click here", "read more" or "learn more" carry zero topical signal to Google and read as opaque to screen reader users who navigate by link list. We surface every weak anchor along with the destination URL so you can rewrite them with descriptive, keyword-relevant text.
What This Tool Checks
- Generic anchor text ("click here", "read more", "more info")
- Empty anchor text (only an image with no alt, or an icon)
- Anchor text that does not describe the destination
- Duplicate anchor text pointing to different destinations
- Excessively long anchor text (>10 words, looks spammy)
- Internal anchors using exact-match keywords
Why It Matters for SEO
Anchor text is one of Google's strongest topical signals. A page linked with anchor text "best running shoes" will pick up rankings for that term; the same page linked with "click here" picks up nothing. For accessibility, screen readers commonly let users tab through a list of links — a list of "click here, click here, read more" is unusable. Descriptive anchor text helps both Googlebot and human users equally.
How to Fix It
Rewrite weak anchor text to describe the destination naturally. "Click here for our pricing" becomes "See our pricing". Image-only links need alt text that describes the destination. Avoid keyword stuffing — natural, unique phrasing wins.
How It Works
We render the page, walk every <a href> in the DOM, capture the visible text (including alt text on image-only links), and classify each anchor against a maintained list of weak / generic phrases. Each weak link is reported with its destination URL so you can prioritise rewrites.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Buttons / CTAs with text "Click here" instead of the action ("Download report")
- Article footers with "Read more" links to deep posts (lost SEO signal)
- Image-only links with no alt text or visible label
- Multiple links labelled the same but pointing to different URLs
- Stuffed anchor text ("buy cheap running shoes online for sale")
Quick Checklist
- No "click here" / "read more" / "learn more" anchors
- Image-only links have descriptive alt text
- Anchor text describes the destination, not the action
- Same anchor text never points to two different URLs
- Internal anchors include topical keywords naturally