Links

Overview

Links should be clear, concise, and work out of context. This is especially important for assistive technology users.

  • Not everybody uses a mouse. Keyboard users tab directly from link to link. The clearer the link text alone is, the less likely it is that users will have to scroll back up to get context they may have missed.
  • Screen reader users can use a shortcut to bring up a list of links on the page. These links are presented completely out of context. 

Best Practices

  • Links should work out of context.
  • Do not say “click here” or “read more” as these do not work out of context.
  • Be unique! Don't use the same link text for two different links.
  • Do not use the full URL unless it's very short and intended to be memorized.
  • If not a website, include the filetype ("Digital Accessibility Resources (docx)")

Example

Screen readers have shortcuts that allow users to generate a list of links on the page. Some screen reader users navigate lengthy webpages with the link list. If the link text does not work out of context, it will not make sense in the link list.

Listen to the link list demonstration for examples of links that work out of context and links that don't.

For example:

  • “Screen reader survey,” tells the user where the link is taking them whereas “click here" tells the user nothing about the destination of the link.
  • The last link in the list is a full URL, which makes its destination unclear unless you listen very carefully.
  • Links like “click here,” “here,” and “learn more" do not work out of context. A user would have to read through the content to determine the link's destination.

Accessible and Inaccessible Links

The following table shows inaccessible links, explains why they are inaccessible, and shows how to rewrite them in a more accessible way.

Inaccessible linkWhy it's inaccessibleAccessible link
Click here to learn more about accessible links.“Click here” does not work out of context. A user would have to go back and read the content to understand the link's destination.Princeton's Digital Accessibility Program has a how-to guide for accessible links.
Read more about accessible links at: https://digital.accessibility.princeton.eduIf the link is short and meant to be memorized, you can include the full link, but drop the "https://". All other instances should use link text instead of the full URL so they are easily understood.  It's important to understand what makes links accessible on websites and other digital environments.
Learn about accessibility tips for website content and accessibility tips for website design.“Accessibility tips” is linked twice, however the link goes to two different destinations. How is a user supposed to distinguish the two?Review the Content Accessibility Checklist and the guidelines on Designing for Accessibility.
View the Content Accessibility Checklist on Princeton's Digital Accessibility Website.The Content Accessibility Checklist should be linked, not the whole digital accessibility site. Users will be less likely to click a link if they have to navigate to the page themselves.View the Content Accessibility Checklist on Princeton's Digital Accessibility Website.

Testing for Accessibility