Descriptive Links
A web page link is one of the most common elements within a web page. Accessible links need to provide sufficient contrast to be distingushable from the other text on the page.
The words used to create links are equally important in ease of use and accessibility. For example, a sighted user can easily understand a link that says, "For a list of courses, click here." Screen readers provide several methods of reading a web page. The screen reader user may opt to navigate the page by going from link to link. In this case, all that would be read is "click here." Non-descriptive link phrases may be sufficient for sighted users, but they are not accessible.
Avoid non-informative link phrases such as:
- Click here
- Here
- More
- Read more
- Link to [some link destination]
- Info
Images as Links
If an image is used as a link, it’s a functional image. Add a description that’s the
same as the page the link points to.
Image within link example
Image is within a link to the U home page. Image description is "The University of Utah."
URLs as Links
Web addresses, or URLs, present two types of challenges; readability and length. URLs are not always human readable or screen-reader friendly. Many URLs contain combinations of numbers, letters, and other characters that make little or no sense to the average person. In most cases, it is better to use human-readable text instead of the URL when adding a link.
Link Length
No minimum nor maximum length. Links do need to be descriptive and concise.
Sometimes whole paragraphs have been turned into one link. This is hard for sighted
users and particularly frustrating for screen reader users as the very long link is
read to them. Often they will skip the link rather than listen to it all. Use the
number of words that make sense and accurately describe the link’s destination.
Rewriting Links for Accessibility
The table that follows contains links found on some PAC12 websites and changes to make these links more accessible.
| Non-informative link | Descriptive Link |
|---|---|
|
New Users, click here to create an application reference number and password. |
New Users, create an application reference number and password. Change: Removed "click here to" text from link. |
|
For information about the Stanford Riding Academy, IEA Teams, Lessons or Leadership: For information about donating a horse, tack, clothes, etc to Stanford: |
Stanford Riding Academy Information Change: Eliminated the "here" link. Made new links that matched actual page content. |
|
When your course is available, you may access it via the OSU PACE course portal, as shown below. We encourage you to bookmark the course portal web address (https://apps.ideal-logic.com/osupace) and use the link to anytime you need access during your course of study. |
When your course is available, you may access it via the OSU PACE course portal. We encourage you to bookmark the course portal and use the link anytime you need access during your course of study. Change: Eliminated duplicate link and streamlined text. |
|
<a href="http://esdweb.esd.usc.edu/npc/"> |
Change: Removed "Click here to use the" text from link. The image source code does not contain an alt attribute. If there is no alt attribute, some screen readers will substitute the file name and read it. The OU image tool requires a decorative check box or description. The decorative check box will add an empty alt attribute (alt=""). In this case, the screen reader will skip over the image without reading anything. If a description is added, then it is placed inside the alt attribute (alt="descripton"). The screen reader will read "image" and then read the description. |
|
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54576379-78/power-fire-charcoal-climate.html.csp |
U. of Utah research: Global cooling reduced fires after Columbus Change: The new link text is the heading from the page that the link points to. It gives an accurate description of that web page. |
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