Link Text
What makes link text accessible and why does "click here" fail?
What is link text?
Accessible link text clearly describes the destination or purpose of a link without relying on surrounding context. Screen reader users often navigate by pulling up a list of all links on a page, so each link must make sense in isolation. Generic phrases like "click here", "read more", or "learn more" provide no information about where the link leads.
Accessible link text clearly describes the destination or purpose of a hyperlink without relying on surrounding context. Screen reader users often navigate by listing all links on a page, so generic phrases like "click here" or "read more" provide no information about where each link leads.
Why does link text matter?
When a screen reader user lists all links on a page and hears "click here" repeated five times, they have no way to distinguish between them. Descriptive link text also benefits sighted users who scan pages quickly and improves SEO because search engines use anchor text as a relevance signal for the linked page.
Key statistics
Screen reader users report that unclear or generic link text is among the top five most problematic accessibility issues they encounter.
Source: WebAIM Screen Reader Survey
How to fix it
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1
Replace generic link text ("click here", "read more", "learn more") with descriptive text that explains where the link goes or what action it performs.
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2
Ensure link text makes sense when read out of context — test by reading just the link text without the surrounding sentence.
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3
If the visual design requires short link text, use aria-label or visually hidden text to provide a fuller description for screen readers.
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4
Avoid using the raw URL as link text (e.g., "https://example.com/page") — use a human-readable description instead.
Code example
<p>We offer web accessibility audits. <a href="/services/audits">Click here</a> to learn more.</p><p>We offer <a href="/services/audits">web accessibility audit services</a> for businesses of all sizes.</p>Frequently asked questions
Related topics
Link Text SEO
Anchor text (link text) is the visible, clickable text of a hyperlink. Search engines use anchor text as a strong signal to understand what the linked page is about. Optimized anchor text uses descriptive, keyword-relevant phrases instead of generic text like "click here" or "read more", helping search engines connect your internal and external links to the right topics.
Heading Hierarchy
Heading hierarchy refers to the logical nesting of HTML heading elements (H1 through H6) on a page. A well-structured hierarchy starts with a single H1, followed by H2s for major sections, H3s for subsections, and so on without skipping levels. Screen readers use headings as a navigation shortcut, allowing users to jump between sections.
Image Alt Text
Alt text (the HTML alt attribute) is a short text description of an image that screen readers announce to visually impaired users. It also displays when an image fails to load and is used by search engines to understand image content. Every non-decorative image on a page must have meaningful alt text that conveys the image's purpose or information.
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