Accessible Links
Link text should say where a link goes, so it makes sense on its own, including for people using assistive technology.
What’s in it
Note: Examples of poor link text in this section are shown without a link. The one example link outside the 'Useful Links' section is just for demonstration, so you don't need to follow it.
What is it for?
Everyone has used links. Those wonderful clickable bits of text that take you to magical places (a.k.a. other pages).
Have you seen 'click here' links? A visual user will be able to set it in context and understand the place where the link will direct. But a person relying on assistive technology may scan links on the page, and they will be presented with a list of 'click here' links. They won't be able to understand where each link will direct them.
Sometimes people use the uniform resource locator (URL) as is, like this - https://abiharrisonnye.dev/talks/a11y-series-buttons/transcript (external site). Visual users may not mind this too much, just scanning through it. However, a person relying on assistive technology will have to listen to the whole URL being read out to understand where the link will direct them. This can be disorientating as well as annoying.
How to support it
Link text should make it clear where the link takes you, even without any context. For instance, the link above could direct people to the transcript of my talk, A11y Series: Buttons (external site). If it's in a sentence, make sure it makes sense, while also being clear where it goes to.
You should also avoid non-descriptive link text, like here, click here, read more, and more information.