Server Side Guy Preview: Accessible Web Links - Why “Click Here” Has Got to Go

Posted by Laura Kressin on Tue, Dec 19, 2017 3:54 PM

For the over 200 million people globally who have a vision impairment (source), the World Wide Web can be a difficult place to traverse. While screen readers provide more access to those with disabilities, not all websites are designed with screen readers in mind. One area of websites that can create a hold up for users is link text.  Follow these simple guidelines to create accessible, clear, and concise links for your users: visually impaired or not.

 

Commonly on the web, you’ll see link text like “Click Here”, “More”, “Register”, and “Download”. For those using screen readers, this link text often gives them more questions than answers. They aren’t able to receive visual cues on the context from the rest of the page.

“Why should I click here?”

“What am I downloading, registering for, or reading more of?”

 

Your link text should help the user understand what action they are taking. Is the link bringing the user to another page? If so, what one? What are they registering for?  What document are they downloading?

 

Learn more about accessible web links, and find examples from local websites, in the full Server Side Guy post. Click below!

See more on Server Side Guy

 

Topics: Website Accessibility