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Re: Link text best practice

for

From: Langum, Michael J
Date: Jan 4, 2011 9:48AM

Our CSS guru came up with a way to use a media=print CSS to reveal rule to reveal URLs in print copies, but not in screen versions (if the URL was not present in the actual text.

-- Mike


-----Original Message-----
From: <EMAIL REMOVED> [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Jon Brundage
Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2011 11:38 AM
To: WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Link text best practice

Hi Gareth,

You are correct. One of the things most sited by users of screen readers is the annoyance of going into "links mode" and receiving a list of links "click here" "click here" etc- Click here to go where? Providing a link such as "Fender Electric Guitars" will convey a sense of the destination. As far as using the actual URL, they can be as confusing as "click here" For example, a URL such as http://154.54.54.33 does not convey much information about the target.

Using a description of the link destination or action is a good accessibility practice.

Jon

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gareth Dart" < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
To: < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2011 11:01 AM
Subject: [WebAIM] Link text best practice


> Hi guys,
>
> I've been on and on at my content authors for the past three years to
> stop using 'click here' or an URL as text for hyperlinks and instead to
> use a short phrase which is a description of the content being linked
> to, the rationale being that this is the friendliest approach to screen
> readers.
>
> Some of them have told me that they've read (no references given)
> 'somewhere online' that URLs should always be used for link text. I
> haven't been able to find this anywhere, but wanted to check here too.
>
> So, for the avoidance of doubt, what is best practice for link text?
>
> Many thanks,
>
> G
>
> Gareth Dart
> Web Developer
> Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)
> 95 Promenade, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 1HZ
> T 01242 211128 F 01242 211122 W www.hesa.ac.uk
> <http://www.hesa.ac.uk/>;
>
>
>