Screen reader users frequently navigate by pulling up a list of every link on a page and moving between them, hearing only the link text with none of the surrounding sentence. A page where six links all say click here presents six identical, unlabelled options, and the same problem affects search engines and anyone skimming.
How links are actually used
Most people read a sentence and click a link inside it, so the surrounding words supply the meaning.
Screen reader software offers a different mode: generate a list of every link on the page and move through it. This is faster than reading everything and it is a common way to navigate. In that mode the surrounding sentence is gone, and each link is heard on its own.
Sighted people do a version of the same thing when skimming, since links are visually distinct and the eye jumps between them. So link text that only works in context fails for both groups.
What that sounds like
A page with several links reading "click here", "read more", "learn more", "here", and "this page" produces a list of five entries, none of which indicates where it goes.
The same page written properly produces "our roofing services", "book a roof inspection", "what a permit involves", "recent work in Langley", and "how we handle rotten decking". Every one of those is a labelled door, and the list becomes a usable summary of the page.
The rule
Link text should describe the destination well enough to make sense read aloud on its own.
That is the entire requirement, and applying it produces better writing anyway, because "read more about our warranty" is more informative to every reader than "read more".
The common patterns to replace
| Instead of | Write |
|---|---|
| Click here to see our services | See our roofing services |
| Learn more | Learn how the inspection works |
| Read more | Read the full case study |
| Download | Download the maintenance checklist |
| Contact us here | Book a free estimate |
| www.example.com/page-3 | The name of the page it goes to |
Things that are easy to miss
- Linked images with no description. A logo linking to the homepage, with no alternative text, is announced as an unlabelled link or by its filename. It needs text describing where it goes rather than what it shows.
- Repeated identical text going to different places. Six "read more" links leading to six different articles is the worst version of this, because the list is not just uninformative but actively confusing.
- Bare addresses. A pasted web address is read out character by character in some configurations, which is unpleasant and conveys nothing.
- Links that only say a number. Pagination reading one, two, three works because the pattern is understood, but a link labelled only with a date or a figure elsewhere does not.
- Icons with no label. A phone icon or an arrow with no text is an unlabelled control.
- Buttons that say Submit, which describes the mechanism rather than the outcome.
The search benefit
Worth noting because it means this is not purely an accessibility exercise.
Search engines use link text to understand what the destination page is about, both for links between your own pages and for links from elsewhere. A site whose internal links all say "click here" is passing no information about its own structure, while one using descriptive text is telling the engine what each page covers every time it links to it.
So the accessible version and the effective version are the same version, which is a recurring pattern in this area and the reason accessibility is a business issue rather than a separate obligation.
Two things that are genuinely fine
A link that opens in a new tab should say so, since an unexpected new window is disorienting for anyone using assistive software. A short note in the link text or an adjacent indicator handles it.
Repeated link text is acceptable when every instance goes to the same place. Three links to your contact page all saying "book an estimate" is consistent rather than confusing.
The test
Read only the links on one of your pages, aloud, in order, ignoring everything else.
If the list makes sense as a set of destinations, the page passes. If it is a run of "here", "more", and "this", that is what a portion of your visitors are working from, and rewriting them is an hour of work that improves the page for everyone who reads it normally as well.
Frequently asked questions
Why is click here a problem?
Screen reader users often navigate by listing every link on a page and hearing only the link text. Several links all saying click here produce a list of identical, unlabelled options.
What makes good link text?
Text that describes the destination well enough to make sense read aloud on its own, without the sentence around it. Learn how the inspection works rather than learn more.
Does link text affect SEO?
Yes. Search engines use it to understand what the destination page covers, so descriptive internal links tell the engine about your own site structure while click here tells it nothing.
What about linked images and icons?
They need text describing where the link goes rather than what the image shows. A logo linking to the homepage with no alternative text is announced as an unlabelled link.
Is it a problem to repeat the same link text?
Only when the repeated links go to different places. Three links all saying book an estimate that all reach the contact page is consistent rather than confusing.
How do I check my own pages?
Read only the links, aloud, in order, ignoring everything else. If the list works as a set of destinations the page passes. If it is here, more, and this, it needs rewriting.
West Coast Media Solutions Inc. provides web design, web development, hosting, digital marketing, and business consulting to organisations across Canada, drawing on more than twenty-five years in the field.
Site full of read more links?
We rewrite them so every link says where it goes, which helps the people who need it and tells search engines what your pages are about.
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