Click Probability Score Strips PageRank From Visually Obstructed Links

Google's rendering engine evaluates visual layout, and overlapping viewport elements that block internal links strip their ability to pass authority, warns David G Quaid.

It is not enough for an internal link to remain fully crawlable in the raw HTML.

The algorithm calculates a click probability score for every link based on its rendered visibility.

If a banner ad, image overlay, or misconfigured CSS element physically covers the anchor text in the viewport, the system assumes users cannot interact with it.

The resulting low click probability score forces the algorithm to cut off PageRank transmission through that specific node.

This rendering failure reportedly causes destination pages to sometimes drop in rankings, even when the linking code remains intact.