Ambiguous Links: Addressing the issues
Learn how to make links easy to understand and interact with and for all
Time estimate: 4 to 6 mins
Lesson contents:
Part 1 | Ambiguous Links: Understanding the issues
Part 2 | Ambiguous Links: Addressing the issues
This training helps:
Anyone who creates and manages links like through emails, marketing, and resource hubs like SharePoint
- Content writers
- Marketers
- Project Managers
- … and more
Important note
Throughout this training, any links inside containers are not clickable. They’re styled as links to provide an example.
Example of non-clickable links in a box
Ambiguous link
Start of hyperlink, Ambiguous link example, end of hyperlink
Descriptive link
Example of a descriptive link.
Review of “Understanding ambiguous links”
What are Ambiguous Links?
Ambiguous links are links with unclear content. The content might be hard to read or understand. It might also be hard to determine where the link goes.
For example, URLs are ambiguous because they are hard to read. It might also be hard to know where the link will go.
In comparison, a descriptive link like “Company Training Hub” is easy to read. It’s also clear where it takes the user.
Ambiguous link
https://Online.com/afwe10/648.train/aBtG90
Descriptive link
Learn more about Company Training Hub.
How ambiguous links can impact screen reader users
People using screen readers navigate links differently than other users. Screen readers allow users to open a list of all the links on a page. Screen reader users may use this feature to skim the page and get a sense of where they can go.
Screen readers allow users to open a list of all the links on a page. For some screen reader users, this may be the primary way to navigate around a site. For others, it might be a last resort if a page isn’t organized. In either case, a user might get stuck trying to distinguish between links that sound the same.
This audio example highlights a common scenario, where a site uses “Read more” links to take users to different articles. Listen to hear how a screen reader might read out a list of links like these.
“Links menu. Read more, read more, read more”
Make ambiguous links clear and concise
To reduce confusion for everyone, links should have clear and concise labels that stand on their own.
Let’s fix the ambiguous “Click here” links. It’s a problem because it’s repeated. The link doesn’t make it clear which item the link refers to.
Note: This can be an issue for people who use a screen reader and are navigating link by link.
Fixing duplicate “Click here” links
There’s no exact way to make links more descriptive. Let’s review how we would make the following two “click here” links unique.
Unclear and repetitive labels
Register for event: Click here
Meeting link: Click here
Clear, concise, and unique labels
Register for event
Join main event
“Register for event” and “Join event” makes it clear which link the user needs based on the action they want to take. The link text is concise and different from the other “Click here” link.
The change makes it easier for skimmers and screen reader users to identify the links.
Optional: Improve clarity with structure
Adding document structure like headings can make navigating links easier and clearer for everybody to spot and understand what they do.
Here we’ve grouped the links under a shared heading that reads “Event links.”
Without heading
Register for event
Join main event
With heading
Discussion event links
Register for event
Join main event
Tips for writing link text
The ideal link text depends on context. Continue on for common examples
Avoid using URLs as link text
Avoid including parts or all of the URL in link text. It’s hard to read and long.
Whole URL’s
Start of hyperlink, medium.com/user-experience-design/to-become-a-more-accessible-designer-consider-more-users-c834739, end of hyperlink
Descriptive link
Check out accessible design article for tips.
Avoid generic link text
Use descriptive text that clearly and concisely indicates the link’s purpose.
Even if users can get the context from surrounding content, keep the most meaningful part hyperlinked so screen reader users can navigate link to link.
Generic label
Read more about the history of oranges.
Learn more
Descriptive labels
Read more about the history of oranges.
Learn about our privacy policy
Avoid repetitive labels
Repetitive links are common in news websites, blogs, and more. They’re ambiguous because there’s often many links with the same text.
Use unique text for each link to clarify different destinations. It’s okay to keep the “Read more,” just make it unique!
Repeating labels
Read more
Read more
Read more
Unique labels
Read more on Apples
Read more on Cherries
Read more on Lychee
Give it a clear destination
Let users know what is on the other side of the link, especially if it’ll open or download a file. It’s best to indicate the file type (PDF, DOCX, ZIP, etc.) and the file size if it is large. It can help people with decisions like if they should download it later when there’s better internet connection.
Unclear label
Click here to download.
Clear label
Download the Employee Handbook (PDF, 10MB).
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to underline the verb in the hyperlink?
The short answer: “It depends.” This is where you have creative freedom to decide what is best for your use case. In general, it helps to include a verb, especially if the user is downloading a file or opening another app. The most important thing is to be clear and consistent, so users know where they’re going.
How short should link text be?
Typically, links are a few words or a short phrase that clearly and concisely conveys the link’s purpose.
The example below is shorter and still the same information.
Overly long label
Start of hyperlink,Click this link to download our PDF manual for further reading, end of hyperlink
Short and clear label
Download the User Manual (PDF).
Isn’t the surrounding text enough for people to understand the link’s purpose?
It can be, but screen reader users can read links out of context and other users scan for links. So, for clarity, we recommend not relying on surrounding text.
Takeaways
There are different ways to make links more descriptive. To help you improve links, check to see if they are:
- Clear
- Concise
- Unique
Questions to ask:
- How can the link be confusing to the user?
- Is there another link on the page that is similar?
- Can it be read quickly?
Practice exercises
1. You are writing an email to invite colleagues to a workshop on web accessibility. Which hyperlink would you use to make the invitation clear and contextual?
- Register
- No
- Register for the Web Accessibility Workshop
“C. Register for the Web Accessibility Workshop” link provides the most contextual information of the 3 options. Screen readers users can navigate solely by interacting with the links. So, the detailed label provides context to alert the user to the specific destination for the link.
2. How would you improve the link “click here”?
To download our 2025 spring catalog, click here.
Scenario: You’re editing the text for an e-commerce site. You have customers who navigate from link to link. The page has multiple “click here” links.
Some possible answers are:
- “2025 Spring Catalog.”
- “Download our 2025 Spring Catalog.”
These answers work because the link text is clear and concise. It lets people know what they’ll download.
Answer these questions to determine if your answer works better than “click here:”
- Is it clear?
- Is it concise?
- Is it unique to other links?
3. Which of the following links from the email would be considered an ambiguous link?
- Click here to join
- Sign up to receive the meeting recording
- Meeting Resource Hub
“A. Click here to join” link is the correct answer and the link that needs more clarity.
Screen readers users can navigate solely by interacting with the links. So, “click here” alone does not provide enough context to alert the user to the specific destination for the link. The other two links provide more contextual information.
Resources
Related standards:
Related assistive tech:
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