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Re: URL Question

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From: Patterson, David K (ITD)
Date: Feb 2, 2016 12:57PM

Hi -

I agree with Mike that you need to have a link text that describes what the user will see when they click on the link. It should make sense and be easy to understand where the link will take you.

Then, then embed the link within the link text itself. It can sometimes be confusing to have to hear the complete hyperlink that has been placed after the description within parentheses, especially if it is a complex link.. But. It's true that PDF and Office documents are often printed so placing the hyperlinks at the bottom of a page within a footnote makes sense too.

Remember that screen readers are able to make a list of all the links inside a document. This helps the user quickly find the link they are looking for. If the link text is meaningful, the right link is easily found.


David K. Patterson
HRCMS Accessibility Manager
Senior Accessibility Business Systems Analyst
Manager – Assistive Technology Laboratory
One Ashburton Place - Room 1601
Boston, MA 02108
Phone: 617-626-4650
Email: <EMAIL REMOVED>
Web: www.mass.gov/itd/