Writing Clear Link Text

The problem with “click here”

Compare these two sentences:

• “To see our opening hours, click here.”
• “See our opening hours.”

In the second one, the link itself says where it goes. In the first, only the words “click here” are the link, and they say nothing. You have to read the words around them to understand.

This matters for several groups of readers.

• Screen reader users commonly pull up a list of every link on a page and jump between them. Out of context, a list of “click here”, “read more” and “learn more” tells them nothing.
• People who scan do the same by eye. Eyes jump from link to link, and clear links summarise the page.
• People with motor difficulties may find it hard to hit small targets, and a longer, descriptive link provides a bigger target.
• People on phones may tap with a thumb, and the word “click” is not even correct for touch screens.
• Search engines also use the words in a link as one clue about the page it points to, though nobody can promise a specific result from it.

The WCAG guidelines include a criterion about link purpose: it should be possible to work out what a link does from the link text, or from the link text together with its immediate context. Descriptive text is the simplest way to meet that.

What good link text looks like

Good link text is:

• Descriptive. It says what the reader will find or do: “Download the 2026 price list (PDF)”.
• Specific. “Read about our returns policy” beats “Read more”.
• Short enough to scan. A few words are usually enough; a whole sentence is too long.
• Meaningful on its own. It should still make sense if read in a list of links, away from its sentence.
• Honest. The link should lead to what it promises. Misleading links damage trust, which relates to the wider idea of honest advertising.

Before and after

The file size in that table is an illustrative figure only; when you include one, check it.

Where to put the link in a sentence

Link the meaningful words, not “click here” or the whole sentence. Instead of “For help with returns, click here”, write “Read our returns policy for help with returns” or simply “See our returns policy”.

Avoid:

• Linking a single common word such as “here” or “this”.
• Linking an entire paragraph, which is long to hear and hard to hit.
• Splitting one idea into two adjacent links to the same page, which is repetitive for screen reader users.

Tell people what to expect

If a link leads to something other than a normal web page, say so. This helps everyone decide whether to follow it.

• File downloads: include the type and ideally the size, such as “(PDF)”.
• Opening in a new window or tab: mention it, because an unexpected new window can disorient some users. Ideally avoid forcing new windows unless there is a good reason.
• External sites: it can help to indicate you are leaving your own site.
• Phone and email links: make clear that “Call us on” or “Email us” is what will happen.

Make links look like links

Link wording is only half of the story. A link also needs to be recognisable.

• Underline links in body text. Colour alone is not enough, as some people cannot distinguish the colours, and our article on colour contrast covers why.
• Make sure the link colour has enough contrast with the surrounding text and the background.
• Show a visible focus indicator so keyboard users can see which link is selected. This is usually a default browser outline, which should not be removed without a replacement.
• Give links enough space to tap.

Buttons and calls to action

A button is often a link in disguise, and the same rules apply. A button that says “Submit” or “Go” is less helpful than “Request a quote” or “Subscribe to the newsletter”. Use the same clear wording you would use in a call to action. If you have a page full of identical “Learn more” buttons, each should have its own distinguishing label, such as “Learn more about the starter plan”.

Where design demands short visible text, some developers add hidden extra text for screen readers, or an accessible name that includes the visible words. This is a technical matter for whoever builds your pages; the visible text should always be included in any hidden name, so that voice control users can say the words they see.

Links in emails and social posts

In email, links are central. A clear link line such as “View your order status” is easier to find than a block of unlabelled links, as noted in our guide to accessible emails. In social posts, a bare long URL is often read out letter by letter by a screen reader. A short description before the link, such as “Full guide to checking contrast”, gives context. Check each platform’s current options for link formatting.

Be careful with link shorteners: they hide the destination, which can reduce trust, and some are read out as a string of random characters.

Images as links

If an image is a link, its alt text should describe where the link goes, not just the picture. A logo that links to your home page might have the alt text “Home” or “Company name, home”.

A quick audit

1. List every link on a key page (many tools or browser extensions can do this).
2. Read the list on its own. Does each item make sense?
3. Rewrite vague links.
4. Check that links to the same place use the same wording, and links to different places use different wording.
5. Check underlines, contrast and focus.

This takes minutes, and it improves clarity as well as accessibility. As with all of this, results vary and nothing is guaranteed, but link wording is one of the cheapest fixes you can make.