What are descriptive links
?
All links on your site or application should be determined by the link text alone.
Because they serve as scanning signals for sighted users and effectively communicate purpose and function to non-sighted users, descriptive links increase the usability of a page. Descriptive links are beneficial for search engine optimization (SEO) because they give search engines context and show how link text and link destinations relate to one another.
Users of screen readers can learn more about a link’s function by reading the text around it. There is no way to determine what the link serves if the link phrase is very vague and there is no additional information.
How does the rule link-with-unclear-purpose works?
This rule determines if a given element <a> contains only the following content (in English only at the moment).
List of unclear phrases
- click here
- click this
- click to learn more
- continue reading
- continue
- download more information
- download
- go
- here
- information
- learn more
- more info
- more information
- more
- read more
- right here
- see how it works
- see more
- start
- tap here
- this
Examples of correct code for this rule:
<p>Learn more about managing the loading of font-faces and querying their download status. Read the <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/FontFaceSet" rel="noopener" target="_blank">FontFaceSet MDN Web Docs documentation</a>.</p>How to fix it
- Even when taken out of context, hyperlink language should provide information about where it will send you. For example,
Visits and Tours
versusClick here to learn more.
- The target of the link should be described in the link text.
- Avoid unclear phrases like
click here, learn more, or tap here
. These links do not mean anything out of context.
Standard
Accessibility, WCAG 2.1, Success Criteria 2.4.4, Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A)