Links

Use descriptive text for links to help people scan for relevant information and choose which links meet their needs.

Links should:

• Be coded as links (using the <a> element) when they point to a new page or to a section within the same page. When a control performs some other action on a page, it should likely be a button. (See Website Techniques - Links and Buttons.)
• Provide a clear, descriptive visible label (avoid "click here").
• Be keyboard accessible (Tab to focus; Enter to activate) with a highly visible focus indicator (such as an outline).

Assistive Technology and Hyperlinks

Some assistive technologies can extract all links on a page and present them as a list. This allows users to quickly scan and jump to relevant links instead of reading the entire page line-by-line.

The screenshot above shows how the JAWS screen reader presents all links on the main Stanford website home page. Descriptive link text lets users know exactly where a link leads. Vague text like "click here" or "learn more" provides insufficient information and requires users to examine surrounding content to determine the link destination.

Writing Link Text

Informative link text benefits all users, not just those using assistive technology. Each link should make sense out of context.

Bad examples:

• To learn more about the Stanford Office of Digital Accessibility, click here.
• Learn about us on our website.

Better:

• Learn more about the Stanford Office of Digital Accessibility.

Tips for hyperlinks

• Avoid using vague link text such as "click here," "website," "read more," or other phrases that could refer to any page.
• Communicate the link's purpose or destination as part of the link name.
• Be descriptive without being verbose. Keep link text under 120 characters.
• Ask yourself: "Will the reader know where they are going just by the link text alone?".
• Avoid using identical link text for links pointing to different locations. For example, two "About Us" links are acceptable if both lead to the same destination, but not if one goes to the School of Medicine and another to the School of Engineering.