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Link Text

Avoid uninformative link phrases

Links are the most useful when they make sense out of context. Authors should avoid non-informative link phrases such as:

* click here
* here
* more
* read more
* link to [some link destination]
* info

The “click here” is just not needed, even if it precedes a more meaningful phrase. A link that says “click here” to access Atlanta weather” should be changed to “Atlanta weather.” In some cases it could be useful to precede a link phrase with “more” or “read more about,” (e.g. “more about global warming”), if these extra words can be avoided, it is usually best to avoid them (e.g. “global warming” may convey the same meaning as “more about global warming,” depending on the context).

Link Length

Long links

What is the maximum allowable length of link text? This is a reasonable question to ask. There is no set answer though. The answer is that the link needs to be long enough to make the purpose of the link understandable and not any longer. Such a vague answer is open to wildly different interpretations, but perhaps this is not such a bad thing. Content authors need to have the freedom to give meaning to their content in the ways that make sense to them. Remember, as a rule of thumb, links should be as concise while not sacrificing meaningfulness link.

Links have been made out of entire sentences, sometimes paragraphs, or even multiple paragraphs. Long links are certainly not necessary, and are definitely not user-friendly for screen reader users. Remember that screen reader users cannot visually skim through lengthy links. They must listen to the entire text. Some screen reader users get frustrated with long link text and impatiently move on to the next link if they cannot understand the purpose of the link after the first few words. Authors do not have control over a behavior such as this, but they do have control over some of the reasons that can lead to users getting frustrated. Short, concise links are less likely to frustrate screen reader users than long, imprecise links.