Digital Accessibility Essentials: Links
What Is Link Text?
Link text is the clickable text of a hyperlink. For example: CU Anschutz Homepage
What is a hyperlink? A hyperlink is clickable text (or an image or button) that links to another location, like a webpage, file, or section within a document.
Link text should be unique, concise, and describe the link’s destination or purpose.
Why Link Text Matters
Link text communicates a link’s purpose and destination, helping users understand where a hyperlink will take them. This supports clear and efficient navigation of digital content.
Screen reader users often hear link text out of context. One common way screen reader users get a quick overview of content is to listen to the list of all links that appear on a page, which are read out as the link text rather than the destination URL.
Link text that is not unique and descriptive is inaccessible.
Scenario: Consider receiving an email that includes three unique links, but the link text for each link is “Click here”. You cannot identify whether the links are all the same or unique, and the purpose and destination of each hyperlink is unclear because of vague link text (“Click here”).
How To Create Accessible Link Text
Accessible link text clearly describes where the user will end up when they open the hyperlink.
Follow these guidelines when creating link text:
- Use link text to describe the destination or content of the hyperlink.
- Ensure link text makes sense on its own without relying on surrounding content.
- Use unique link text for unique links.
- Avoid sharing URLs without descriptive link text.
- For example: https://www.cuanschutz.edu/homepage
- An exception is when a specific URL should be memorized.
- If you are linking to a document instead of a webpage, identify the document type in the link text.
- For example: CU Anschutz Digital Accessibility Policy (PDF)
- Underlining should only be used for link text to indicate a clickable link, not as visual styling for regular text.
Practical Application
Ask yourself the following questions as you create link text in your digital content:
- Without reading the surrounding text, can I determine the destination of the link?
- Are any link destinations documents, and, if so, do they include the document type at the end of the link text?
- Do all hyperlinks with the same link text go to exactly the same destination? (They should.)
Here are some examples of good and bad uses of link text:
- Good link text: CU Anschutz Campus Accessibility
- Bad link text (URL only): https://www.cuanschutz.edu/accessibility
- Bad link text (vague): For information on campus accessibility services, click here.