Use descriptive text for links

Requirement: Link text should fully describe its target. Where two or more links on a page feature identical link text, the target of those links should be the same.

A simple test, one link below leads to the campus directory. Which one is it?

click here for more information
click here for more information
click here for more information
click here for more information

Some browsers and devices are capable of listing all the links on a page separately. This can be very helpful, but it becomes useless if the developer/writer shows little imagination in describing those links.

Especially for people who might miss contextual clues because they are dyslexic, use a Braille display, or employ some other browser or device (such as WebTV) that does not feature an easy way view or scroll a whole page at a time, descriptive text is essential to making pages usable and accessible.

Bear in mind that many users only skim content. Links become highlighted material. Putting descriptive text in the link makes it more likely that users will read what's important rather than being left to dig for the information and its corresponding link.