Link text

An easy win

Getting link text right is a very easy win. It not only improves accessibility, it improves everyone’s user experience. And all it takes is a little thought. And understanding that not everyone uses our website (or the internet in general) in the same way.

Some people can’t use a mouse. Some people prefer not to use a mouse. We call them keyboard-only users. One way they can quickly navigate a page is by tabbing (using the tab key) from link to link. So it’s extremely helpful if those links tell them exactly where they lead. It’s even more helpful for blind users who are relying on a screen reader.

Imagine how frustrating it would be if you tabbed through links and they said:

Yes, you could carefully scroll back through all the page contents to find out the context but, by then, you’re already thinking: “These people don’t care about me.”

But, as I said, it’s easy to fix.

The main rule

The purpose of each link can be determined from the link text alone.

This means links should always be written so that they explain what they do or where they go. The user should know what is going to happen when they click the link. This relates to inline links, to buttons, both free and on promo blocks, to CTAs (calls to action), anywhere you are linking off elsewhere.

So, for inline links, for example, when you are writing about our academic regulations, link to them in the sentence where you first mention them, as I have done. It is clear where that link will take you. This not only helps the person using a screen reader but sighted users can see at a glance the links they want. Never say “to find out more, click here".

Another accessibility rule is you can’t have links to the same destination but with different text.

And you can’t have links on your page to different destinations using the same text.

This was a common occurrence when there were multiple promo blocks on a page with all the buttons saying “Find out more”. Again, it’s easy to fix. Say, for instance, “Find out more about our academic regulations”.

This video from the Accessibility and Me training module in My Learning illustrates the problems people using assistive technology may have with non-descriptive links.

link text on a web page

View screen reader links video transcript

Additional information

Section links

When linking to a page on the University of Derby website, use the Section link or Content link [if you want to go to a particularly spot on a page] functions, don’t link to the url (web address). This avoids the link breaking if the page is moved.

Check your links work

When you preview your page, check all links go to the right place and open in the same window/tab.

(Login required)

If the link leads to a page where a login is required, say so in the link text (login required).

Landing page links

Landing page links to pages on the University of Derby website will pull in the page heading and abstract unless the “Title” and “Text” field in the landing page link item are used. If your page heading and abstract are long, this can affect the user experience. Avoid allowing the “Text” content in the landing page link to cause an ellipsis (…). Check the landing page link text on desktop by hovering over it. Again, use Section links when linking within the University of Derby website.