Links are part of your writing
A link is a small promise: select this, and you will go somewhere specific. The words you choose for the clickable part, known as link text or anchor text, make that promise. If they are vague, the reader has to guess. If they are clear, the reader can decide in an instant whether the destination is worth a visit.
Link text deserves as much care as a headline, because it plays a similar role. It is often one of the first things a scanning reader notices, since links stand out visually. It is also a key tool for people who use assistive technology.
Why vague link text fails
Phrases like “click here,” “read more,” “this page” and “learn more” appear all over the web. They have a few problems.
They say nothing out of context. A reader skimming for a link to the refund policy has to read the surrounding sentence to see where “click here” goes.
They fail screen reader users. People who use screen readers often pull up a list of all the links on a page and move through it. In that list, each link appears without its surrounding text. A list reading “click here, click here, read more, read more” is useless.
They weaken the sentence. “To see our refund policy, click here” spends the reader’s attention on the mechanics of clicking instead of the information.
They do not suit every device. “Click” assumes a mouse. On a phone people tap, and in other situations they use a keyboard or voice. Describing the destination works everywhere.
What makes link text good
Good link text is descriptive, concise and honest. A reasonable test is to read the link text alone and ask whether it tells you what you will find.
| Weak | Stronger |
|---|---|
| Click here | Read the refund policy |
| Learn more | Learn how the review process works |
| This article | The beginner’s guide to choosing a font |
| Download | Download the printable checklist (PDF) |
The stronger versions are specific. They use the words a reader would associate with the destination, which also helps when someone is scanning. A few more guidelines:
- Describe the destination, not the action. Skip “click” and “tap.”
- Keep it to a meaningful phrase. Aim for roughly two to six words. A whole sentence as a link is hard to scan, and a single common word like “here” is too thin.
- Put the key term first when you can, as with headlines and subheadings.
- Make each link unique. Two links with the same text that go to different places confuse everyone. Two links to the same place can share text.
- Be honest. If a link leads to a file, a video or an external site, say so when it matters. Surprises such as an unexpected download are frustrating, especially on a phone with limited data.
Weaving links into sentences
The best links read naturally inside a sentence. Rather than adding a pointer at the end of the paragraph, link the words that already describe the idea.
Awkward: “We have written about this topic. You can find it here.”
Smoother: “If you want to understand how readers move down a page, our explanation of scanning behavior covers the main patterns.”
The second sentence flows, and the link text carries meaning. Avoid wrapping the link around long clauses just because they are convenient. Link the shortest phrase that still makes sense on its own.
Also avoid cluttering a paragraph with links. If every other phrase is clickable, nothing stands out, and the reader may not finish the sentence they started. Choose links that help at that moment in the text. Links to related material often fit better at the end of a section than in the middle of a key explanation, where they can pull a reader away before they have understood the point.
Special cases
Buttons and calls to action. Button labels follow the same rule: say what happens. “Send my question” beats “Submit.” Action prompts have their own wording concerns, but clear destination language helps here too.
Images as links. If an image is a link, its alternative text should describe the destination or function, not just the picture. A logo that links to the home page might use “Home” or the name of the site, depending on context.
Links that open new windows. Many readers prefer to choose for themselves. If a link opens a new tab, a brief note can help, but the safest default is a normal link.
Footnotes and references. For source credit, name the source in the text rather than relying on a bare number or the word “source.”
Check your links
A few quick checks improve most pages:
- Read through the link text only. Does each one make sense on its own?
- Search the page for “click here,” “here” and “read more,” and rewrite any you find.
- Look for duplicate link text pointing to different places.
- Test that every link works and goes where the text suggests. Links can break over time, so recheck older pages occasionally.
- Ask someone who uses a screen reader, if you can, to try the page. Real accessibility testing reveals more than rules alone.
Check also that links are visually distinguishable. A link that relies on color alone may be hard to see for readers with color blindness, so an underline or other cue helps.
A final thought
Descriptive links cost almost nothing to write, and they improve the page for every kind of reader. The habit is simple: when you add a link, ask yourself what a reader should expect to find, and put those words inside the link.