Let’s say you need to get somewhere and you have no phone or maps to navigate by. You find yourself at an intersection with no street signs or markers, just an arrow pointing in one direction. There’s no clear indication of where that road will take you or whether it might get you any closer to your destination.
That would be pretty frustrating, right? Should you potentially waste your time to find out whether that road will get you closer to where you need to go? Or move on, and hope the next intersection has better signage?
That’s the daily experience for millions of website users who are blind, or who have low vision or other disabilities when you use ambiguous link text! Improving website accessibility means making sure that links are never a mystery by having clear, non-ambiguous link text. The good news is that this is a really easy remediation of your site — if you can create a link, you can fix the link text!
What is Ambiguous Link Text?
“Link text” is the text that gets made into the link, and is often underlined or bolded depending on the styles of your website or document. Here’s an example: This page gives more information about meeting link text WCAG guidelines for accessibility. The link text here is: “more information about meeting link text WCAG guidelines for accessibility”.
Ambiguous link text refers to link text that doesn’t clearly convey the destination or purpose of the link when that link text is read as stand-alone text without any other content around it. Common culprits include phrases like “click here,” “learn more,” or “read more.” While these might seem innocuous, they pose significant challenges for website users, particularly those with disabilities.
Why is Ambiguous Link Text Inaccessible?
- Screen Reader Users: Individuals who rely on screen readers to navigate the web encounter a major hurdle with ambiguous link text. Screen readers are accessibility tools that read the content of a page aloud, including link text. Often, screen reader users will have this tool read out a list of all the links on a page as a way of scanning the content of a page (just like sighted users might do as they visually scan the page). This means that the link will be read without the benefit of any contextual information around it. If links say just “click here,” the user has no way of knowing where the link leads without listening to the entire page, which is time-consuming and frustrating. Additionally, this may lead to them clicking on the wrong “click here,” leading to more frustration.
- Cognitive and Learning Disabilities: People with cognitive or learning disabilities often benefit from clear and concise information. Ambiguous link text can be confusing and disorienting, making it difficult to understand the website’s structure and content.
- Motor Impairments: Users with motor or mobility impairments may navigate websites using keyboard shortcuts to access links. If link text is unclear, they may accidentally activate the wrong link, leading to frustration and inefficiency.
- Bonus: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Impact: Descriptive link text is essential for good SEO. Search engines rely on link text to understand the content of a page. Ambiguous link text provides no valuable information to search engines, hindering website discoverability.
How to Write Clear and Descriptive Link Text
- Be Specific: Instead of “click here,” use descriptive text like “Learn more about our accessibility guidelines.”
- Use Action Verbs: Begin link text with strong action verbs, such as “Download,” “Submit,” or “View.”
- Provide Context: If necessary, include additional context to clarify the link’s purpose. For example, “Download our Accessibility Statement (PDF).”
Conclusion
Along with adding alt text to images, properly setting headings, and using accessible color contrast, using clear and descriptive link text is a fundamental and easy to implement aspect of creating accessible websites. By avoiding ambiguous language and providing meaningful information, you can significantly enhance the user experience for everyone, regardless of their abilities.
