Link text

Can you tell where these words might send you?

  • “available online”
  • “click here”
  • “read more”

When thinking about your link text is the text that audiences click on to go to another page. It's important to remember that they might not see the rest of the text in your sentence or paragraph.

Writing descriptive link text is important for several reasons:

  • Users of a screen reader might scan through the links on your page without going through the rest of the text
  • Hyperlinks are formatted differently from surrounding body text and capture users’ attention, just like highlighting or underlining in a textbook.
  • Search engines look at link text too. Descriptive link text can help your page rank higher
  • Two- or three-word links are harder to click on from a mobile device.

Good link text

The best practice is to give your audience clues about what will happen when they click the link, such as what content they can expect to find and whether the link is opening a file or email.

Here are some examples to create or fix link text:

  • Focus on the destination.
    • Example: “The latest schedule of workshops is available online”.
    • Consider: What is important to your audience (and a screen reader) is the “latest schedule of classes” - because it’s a link, people already know it’s online.
    • Recommendation: “The latest schedule of classes is now available.”
  • Consider a call to action.
    • Example: “To read more about research on robotics, click here”
    • Consider: These types of links can easily be transformed into a clear call to action.
    • Recommendation: “Read more about robots research”
  • Try the title of the destination page.
    • Example: “Learn about accessibility
    • Consider: If the page you are sending people to is “Tips and resources for web accessibility,” use that text on your own page for consistently and search engine optimization.
    • Recommendation: “Tips and resources for web accessibility”
  • Use the same text for repeated links.
    • Sometimes you need to include a second link to the same destination (for instance, if you’re using the expand/collapse template).
    • Keep the text consistent so people know it is the same link.
    • Similarly, avoid use of generic text, like “click here” as they could go several links with the same text could go to different places.
  • Keep the length concise.
    • It’s easier for all audiences to read at a glance, and especially for people using speech recognition applications.
    • For example, the full title of an academic paper may be too long to effective use as link text. Instead consider: “A recent study on robotics found that...”
  • Use a call-to-action button when needed.
    • Buttons are easier to see than a link in body text. If something is important, make it big.
    • They’re also easier for mobile users to click on, especially where fine motor skills might be a concern.

Linking to contact information
  • Use link text when you are linking to a web form, list of contacts, or a contact card for a generic account (a shared email address and phone.)
    • For example: “Contact us” or “Contact the Department of...”
  • Hyperlink the person’s name or role when linking to a contact card. That way, people know there are multiple ways to get in touch.
    • For example: “Contact Jane Colleague”
  • Hyperlink an email address rather than a name when you want people to reach out by email. This lets users know the link is about to open their email program.
    • For example: “Contact us at team@uwaterloo.ca”

Linking to social media

Take them directly to your profile. If you need to link to social media platforms, make sure to link to a specific profile rather than the social media platform itself. Users generally won’t search for your account if you only point them to the platform, and it’s easy to confuse our accounts with other schools that use “UW”.

  • For example: “Follow the Faculty of Health on Twitter” or “Follow @uwaterloohealth on Twitter”

Linking to files

While webpages are preferable to PDFs, we know it is sometimes necessary to offer a downloadable or printable copy. However, users prefer a warning before a new program opens up or they’re about to download a large file.

  • Add the file extension to the link.
    • For example: “Inclusive Style Guide (PDF)”.
  • Use a bulleted list when offering multiple versions
    • For example:
      • Project proposal template (PDF)
      • Project proposal template (Word)
  • Warn users about large files
    • Mobile users may want to wait to download a file from a computer instead, or when they have access to wi-fi rather than using their data plan.
    • For example: “Inclusive Style Guide (PDF, 10 MB)”.