Links let users go to a new page or place on the web or in a digital document. Links make content accessible by making it clear where each link goes, with good link text.
Accessible link text makes digital content more understandable and usable for people who use screen readers, are neurodivergent, have mobility issues, use voice control software, and who benefit from good information design in general.
Using good link text is required by digital accessibility standards, as described in 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context).
Best Practices
Accessible link text is short, descriptive, understandable, and unique:
- Short — Just a few words, no more than 5 if possible
- Descriptive — Describes where it goes or what it does, so a user knows what will happen in advance
- Understandable — Text that is readable for humans, not a long URL string
- Unique — Not the same as other link text on the same page or document, unless it goes to the same place
Avoid phrases that are meaningless out of context such as “more,” “click here,” or “this article.” These links are confusing to people who are visually scanning content, or browsing content by links only with assistive technologies including screen readers.
Check Links
When reviewing content, use an accessibility checker to identify links that can be improved. Checkers can find URLs used as links and duplicate link text.
When editing content, read link text for its understandability out of context and other requirements. Write good link text and use editing software to associate your URL with that text.
Examples
Correct
- To learn more about digital accessibility, visit the University of Michigan Digital Accessibility website.
- Explanation: This link text is meaningful out of context and describes exactly where it goes.
Incorrect
- You can find some great accessibility resources on the University of Michigan’s Digital Accessibility website.
- Explanation: This link text is generally descriptive, but not specific. The best option is text that describes exactly where the link goes.
- To visit the University of Michigan’s Accessibility website, click here.
- Explanation: This link text is not unique or meaningful. Avoid generic terms like "click here", especially on a page with multiple links.
- To visit the University of Michigan’s Accessibility website, go to https://accessibility.umich.edu
- Explanation: This link text is a URL, which in most cases is not understandable to a human reader and should be avoided.
For more information and examples: