Look at the last blog post you published. How did you link to your contact page? Did you write “click here to get in touch”?
If you did, you just wasted a major SEO opportunity.
Search engines cannot click links to see where they go. They rely entirely on the visible, clickable words to understand the destination page. We call these words anchor text. If your anchor text is vague, Google assumes the linked page has low value and ignores it.
We will dissect exactly how Google reads links in 2026. We will show you the specific words you must avoid and the correct way to structure your links for better search performance.
The “Click Here” Repetition And Why It Fails
Using phrases like “click here” or “read more” is a common habit. It is also a terrible practice for both human visitors and search engines.
First, consider accessibility. Many internet users rely on screen readers to navigate the web. These tools often scan a page and read out a list of all the available links. Hearing an automated voice read a list of “click here, click here, read more” provides absolutely zero context. The user has no idea where those links lead.
Google’s crawlers act exactly like those screen readers. The search algorithm uses your anchor text to categorise the destination page. If the clickable text does not describe the topic, Google assumes the linked page is not important. You lose the chance to tell the search engine exactly what you do.
Integrating clear, descriptive links is a core part of professional UX and web design. It ensures your digital platform is easy to navigate for human users and structurally sound for search algorithms.
Deconstructing the Link Profile Ratio
Your website cannot rely on just one type of anchor text. If every single link pointing to your site looks exactly the same, Google gets suspicious. The algorithm analyses your entire “link profile” to check if your links are natural or artificially created.
To stay out of trouble, you need to understand the difference between safe links and dangerous links.
The Safe Zone: Branded and Naked Links
The most natural way for another website to link to you is by using your actual company name or your raw web address. We call these branded and naked links.
For example, a safe link uses the words “Adelaide Web Marketing” or simply pastes “adelaidewebmarketing.com.au”. Real people write this way when referencing a business. These safe variations should make up the vast majority of your backlink profile. They build immense trust with search engines.
Surrounding Context is the New Anchor Text
Search algorithms have evolved significantly. Google no longer just reads the blue underlined words. The artificial intelligence now reads the entire sentence surrounding your link to verify the context and intent.
This means you do not need to force awkward keywords into the link itself. The words before and after the hyperlink provide all the clues the search engine needs.
For example, if you run a local accounting firm, you do not need to force a link onto the phrase “corporate tax accountant services”. Instead, you can write a natural sentence like, “Our team handles complex corporate tax returns. You can review our financial service packages for more details.” If you link the words “financial service packages”, the AI still understands it relates to corporate tax returns because it reads the whole paragraph.
Writing this way requires a focus on human readability over mechanical SEO tricks. This is why professional content writing services structure paragraphs so both search engines and your customers understand the full message without it looking like automated spam.
The Image Anchor Text Rule
Images are frequently used as links. The most common example is a user clicking a company logo to return to the homepage, or clicking a product photo to open a checkout page.
Because images do not contain visible text, search engines face a problem. They cannot read the picture to understand where the link leads.
The solution lies in the background code. When an image acts as a link, Google uses the image’s Alt Text as the anchor text. If you leave the alt text blank, the search engine treats it as a completely empty link. It passes zero context and zero value to the destination page.
This is why managing your visual data is so critical. As we explained in our recent breakdown of optimising website metadata and alt tags, providing clear text descriptions for your images directly dictates how search engines map and rank your site structure.
Build Stronger Search Signals
Every link on your website is a signal to search engines. Wasting those signals on vague phrasing or keyword stuffing directly harms your search performance. Proper anchor text guides your users and strengthens your digital authority.
Stop letting bad linking habits hold your business back. A professional review of your site structure ensures every link works to your advantage.