Every link on the web, the ones that let you click your way from one page to another, or one site to another entirely, comes down to a single HTML element. It is one of the oldest tags in the language, dating back to the very earliest version of HTML, and it remains just as essential today.
Most people never think about the markup behind a link. They see blue underlined text, or a styled button, and click it. But the anchor element carries several attributes that genuinely affect accessibility, SEO and how a link behaves, and getting them right is worth a few minutes of attention.
The Basic Anchor Element
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The a tag stands for anchor, a slightly odd name that dates back to the early web, where a link was thought of as anchoring one document to another. The href attribute, short for hypertext reference, holds the destination, and the text sitting between the opening and closing tags is what the user actually sees and clicks.
Without an href attribute, an a tag is not really a link at all, it is simply an anchor point with no destination, and some older uses of the tag relied on this for creating in-page jump targets, though the id attribute on any element now handles that job more cleanly.
Attributes Worth Knowing
The target Attribute
<a href=”https://example.com” target=”_blank”>Visit example.com</a>
Adding target with a value of _blank opens the link in a new browser tab rather than navigating away from the current page. This is commonly used for external links so a visitor doesn’t lose their place on your site, but use it deliberately rather than on every link, since forcing new tabs when a visitor doesn’t expect them can be genuinely disorienting.
The rel Attribute
<a href=”https://example.com” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>Visit example.com</a>
When target=”_blank” is used, adding rel=”noopener noreferrer” is a genuine security and performance practice; it stops the newly opened page from being able to access and manipulate the original page through JavaScript. For links pointing to content you do not want to vouch for editorially, rel=”nofollow” is the relevant value, telling search engines not to pass ranking credit through that link.
The title Attribute
<a href=”/pricing/” title=”See our full pricing breakdown”>Pricing</a>
An optional tooltip that appears on hover in most browsers. It is not a substitute for clear link text, and should not be relied upon for anything essential, since it is not reliably accessible on touch devices.
Why Link Text Genuinely Matters
- Screen reader users often navigate a page by pulling up a list of all its links in isolation, so link text reading simply “click here” or “read more” tells them nothing useful out of context
- Search engines use link text as a strong signal about what the destination page is about; descriptive text like “our WordPress maintenance plans” carries far more SEO value than “click here”
- Clear, descriptive link text improves scannability for every visitor, not just those using assistive technology, since it lets people decide whether a link is worth following without needing surrounding context
- AI answer engines extracting or summarising a page’s content rely partly on link text and structure to understand relationships between pages, another reason vague link text is a genuine missed opportunity
Internal, External and Anchor Links
Links generally fall into three categories, and each is worth handling slightly differently. Internal links point to other pages on your own site, and are one of the simplest, most effective SEO tools available, guiding both visitors and search engines through your site’s structure and signalling which pages you consider important.
External links point to other websites entirely. These are genuinely valuable when they point to a credible, relevant source; they can support trust and context, though it is worth being deliberate about which external sites you are, in effect, vouching for.
In-page anchor links jump a visitor to a specific section of the same page, commonly used for long articles with a table of contents, or for skip-to-content accessibility links right at the top of a page.
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A Quick Anchor Element Checklist
☐ Use descriptive link text, never bare “click here” or “read more”
☐ Add rel=”noopener noreferrer” whenever target=”_blank” is used
☐ Reserve target=”_blank” for genuinely appropriate cases, such as external links
☐ Use rel=”nofollow” for links you do not want to editorially vouch for
☐ Check every href point where it should; broken links harm both users and SEO
Frequently Asked Questions
Does WordPress let me control these link attributes without editing HTML directly?
Yes, the block editor’s link tool includes toggles for opening in a new tab, which automatically adds the appropriate rel attributes behind the scenes, so most day-to-day linking never requires touching raw markup.
Is “click here” really that bad for SEO?
It is not catastrophic on its own, but it is a genuinely wasted opportunity. Every link is a small chance to tell both visitors and search engines what the destination page is about, and generic link text throws that away for no real benefit.
Should every external link use rel=”nofollow”?
No, that would defeat much of the value of linking out to credible sources in the first place. nofollow is best reserved for links you do not want to vouch for editorially, paid links, user-submitted content or untrusted sources, rather than applied blanket-wide.
Do broken links genuinely affect my search rankings?
They can, both directly, since search engines that encounter broken links repeatedly may see it as a sign of a poorly maintained site, and indirectly, since visitors who hit dead links tend to leave, which is its own negative signal.
What is the difference between an anchor link and a hyperlink?
In everyday use, the terms are interchangeable, though strictly speaking, an anchor link often refers specifically to an in-page jump link, while hyperlink is the broader term for any clickable link created with the a tag.
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