Provide an explicit link text for each link and each button

A link or button is considered as non-explicit when its text alone does not make it possible to understand its destination or function.

The following link and button texts are therefore to be avoided:

  • “Read more”.
  • “More information”.
  • “Click here”.
  • Etc.

They should be replaced by such texts as:

  • “Mr. Cameron’s statement (read more)”.
  • “More information on the Wiltshire contract”.
  • “Discover our welcome offer”.
  • Etc.
Screen capture 1: this is an examples which shows an inaccessible way of presenting links. In this first version, the anchor text is: "Case Study: The Artery. Read more" (with the link on "Read more").
Screen capture 2: this is a second version of the previous example which shows an accessible way of presenting links. In this second version, the anchor text is: "Case Study: The Artery" (with the link on the entire text). Captions below.
In this example, the “Read more” links have been removed,
and placed directly on the titles of the articles.

Note

If it is not practical to make some link or button texts explicit (lack of space in the mock-up, for example), there are other solutions that can be used later in the development phase.

Nevertheless, this is a compromise solution that is less effective than directly optimizing the link or the button with an explicit link text.

Find out more

  1. Associated accessibility guideline for HTML, CSS and JavaScript: 5.2. Make link and button labels explicit with aria-label or the title attribute.

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