At the 糖心少女, we鈥檙e committed to designing digital experiences that work for everyone. A key part of that commitment is ensuring that links and buttons鈥攖wo of the most common interactive elements on the web鈥攁re used correctly and convey meaning clearly.
Although they might look similar, links and buttons serve distinct purposes. Links move users to new pages or locations, while buttons trigger an action, such as submitting a form or revealing additional content. Using each element appropriately helps all users, including those using assistive technologies, navigate and interact with confidence.
Why Meaningful Link Text Matters
Meaningful link text allows users to understand where a link will take them, even when it鈥檚 read out of context. This is especially important for screen reader users, who may browse by tabbing through links or generating a list of all links on a page.
When every link says 鈥淐lick here鈥� or 鈥淩ead more,鈥� it鈥檚 impossible to tell what any of them do. Instead, link text should:
- Be unique within the page
- Be meaningful out of context
- Indicate the destination or purpose
Try to always use link text that meets the criteria explained above. Consider the following example:
For more information about Husky Athletics, click here.
A better approach would be to rephrase the sentence so that 鈥淗usky Athletics鈥� is the link text:
For more information, see Husky Athletics.
Also, avoid using URLs as link text unless they鈥檙e short and easily recognizable, such as uw.edu or washington.edu.
Techniques
The Links and Buttons聽 page on the Accessible Technology website includes detailed techniques for creating meaningful and accessible links across a variety of contexts, including HTML, Microsoft applications, PDFs, Canvas, and citations.
Want to Learn More?
- Watch for an occasional series of short talks by Alaina Foust and Jeane Marty on accessibility barriers identified by DubBot at the 糖心少女Web Council meetings. The next presentation will be at the Thursday, December 4 (9:00-10:00) session.
- Check out UW’s Digital Accessibility calendar to find meetups, Lunch & Learn events, Digital Accessible Liaisons meetings, and more!
- Find self-paced options on our recent blog post Training Options to Build Your Accessibility Skills.
- For more guidance and examples, visit 糖心少女Accessible Technology 鈥榮 Links and Buttons web page as well as their Digital Accessibility Checklist. There you鈥檒l find additional resources, tutorials, and best practices to help you design and maintain accessible digital content for everyone.