Link text is the clickable text users interact with to navigate the web. Accessible links improve navigation and usability, benefiting users with disabilities and enhancing the overall user experience. When making links, focus on making the link text clear, descriptive, and informative.

Make link text descriptive, conveying the destination even out of context. If you read the link text out of context, does it tell you where you’re going?

Don’t do this:

A list of non-descriptive text links that read click here, learn more, and here
  • Avoid link text like “click here” or “here”.
  • Imagine the phrase “click here” in a list of links that all say the same thing, like in the image above. Where is “here”, exactly?

Instead, do this:

Examples of good link text that read register for our lunch and learn, sign-up for the newsletter, and vegetable garden calendar
  • The link text above clearly describes the destination, even out of context.
  • Descriptive link text can be a specific call to action or the title of the page or document that’s linked.

Keep Link Text Concise

Avoid using long web addresses as your link text. Imagine how annoying it would be to have a long web address read out loud to you! Instead, use the title of the webpage or document you are linking.

A bad example of a link where a long web address is the link text, and a good example where the title of the page being linked is the link text

Keep link text descriptive, but short. Avoid overly long or verbose link text, such as a sentence. Instead link short and succinct phrases.

A bad example of link text where an entire paragraph is hyperlinked, next to a good example where a specific call to action is linked

When linking to a document or file other than a web page, be sure to include the file type at the end of the link text. This lets the user understand that they are about to open or download a different type of file from a web page.

A bad example of a PDF document linked without the format in the link text, and a good example where the format is included at the end of the link text

When working with PDFs (or any document you will convert to PDF), avoid allowing link text to span more than one line of text. Doing so will result in two separate links that go to the same destination, and with incomplete link text for each.

Don’t do this:

Microsoft Word document where link text is on two lines for the same link

The link text in the example is separated into two lines. Avoid this.

Instead, do this:

Word document where link text is all on a single line

The link text in the example is all on a single line.

Note that this best practice only applies to PDF documents. Webpages will not break links between lines.


Links should include other visual cues, apart from color, to indicate they are clickable. Do not remove underlines from clickable links!

The below example shows what to avoid:

Link text without an underline

This also means you should also avoid underlining text that is not a link!


Do Not Set Links to Open in a New Tab or Window

Do not set links to open in a new tab or window:

  • It creates a disorienting experience for those utilizing assistive technologies.
  • New tabs disrupt the functionality of the back button, a critical browser feature.
  • It complicates browsing on mobile by disabling the swipe-to-go-back gesture.
  • People should have control over when they want to open new tabs and when they don’t.