What are descriptive links?
Hyperlink text must be clear and meaningful, with enough contextual information that a user would understand the link’s destination.
You shouldn’t use “click here,” “read more” and “learn more” as the only words linked.
- Do: “Read our strategic plan.”
- Don't: “Click here for our strategic plan.”
Similarly, don’t use the same link language for two different destinations. For example, if “Contact Us” is listed as a link twice on the same page, it should take users to the same place.
Why are they important for accessibility?
People who use a screen reader to access the internet can ask their software to read all the links on a webpage aloud. This means the links need to make sense out of context.
If that list sounds like, “click here,” “click here,” “click here,” the user won’t know where the links lead or why they would want to click them.
If that list sounds like, “quarterly report,” “sign up” and “about our team,” the user can decide where to navigate next.
Similarly, if you paste in the entire URL, instead of creating a descriptive link, a screen reader will read the URL as written. Listening to https://www.albany.edu/strategicplan/ read aloud is not an accessible experience.
What other benefits are there?
Links are styled differently than normal text for accessibility purposes: They are underlined, appear in a different color and sometimes become highlighted when scrolled over. You should not underline text that isn't a link.
These accessibility features act as a visual cue to all users — essentially communicating, “Hey! This is a link.” Links capture users’ attention, which you can capitalize on.
If you want users to read a plan, make the link, “Read the plan.” That's a much clearer call-to-action than, “Click here to read the plan.”
Today’s Resource
Read SUNY’s Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Policy.