Has AMP Link Tag records whether a page advertises an AMP alternate through a recognized amphtml link declaration in its head. RankGear returns 1 when that declaration is present and 0 when it is not — a present tag is only a claim the page makes, not confirmation that the linked AMP version exists or validates.
| Factor ID | RG-LNK-001 |
|---|---|
| Family | Links on the page |
| Measurement | Boolean presence (0 / 1) |
| Measured zone | Rendered, script-free document head |
What it measures
Has AMP Link Tag indicates whether the page advertises an AMP alternate through a recognized amphtml link declaration. It is a signal that the page points to an Accelerated Mobile Pages version of itself, nothing more: the factor reads the declaration, not the destination behind it.
How RankGear measures it
RankGear searches the rendered, script-free document head case-insensitively for the exact prefix <link rel="amphtml". A match scores 1; no match scores 0. RankGear does not parse the rest of the tag, fetch the linked URL, canonicalize it, or validate the AMP page it points to — it only confirms that the recognized declaration prefix appears.
What RankGear looks for
<link rel="amphtml" href="https://example.com/article/amp/">| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | The head contains a <link rel="amphtml" declaration — the page advertises an AMP alternate. |
| 0 | No matching declaration was found — the page advertises no AMP alternate (or the tag is written in a form the prefix match does not catch). |
How to optimize it
Add this relationship only when a valid AMP alternate actually exists. Ensure reciprocal canonical handling between the AMP and non-AMP versions, keep content parity across both, use stable URLs, and validate the AMP page on an ongoing basis. Treat the factor as an observation of what the page declares, not a target to chase: emitting the tag without a working, validating AMP page adds a claim you cannot back up.
Important considerations
- Attribute reordering can cause a false zero — if
rel="amphtml"is not written immediately after<link, the prefix match may miss it even though the declaration is functionally valid. - Presence does not confirm the destination works; the factor never fetches or validates the linked AMP page.
- AMP is optional, not a universal ranking requirement — many pages rank well with no AMP alternate at all.
- Remove stale declarations when the alternate is retired, so the page does not advertise an AMP version that no longer exists.
- This is a correlation-style signal within a measured result set, not a cause of ranking. Declaring an AMP alternate does not make a page rank or guarantee any position.
Related factors
Part of the Factors reference · how RankGear measures · glossary.