November 2, 2026
Descriptive link text and accessibility: writing links that meet WCAG 2.4.4
In accessibility, descriptive link text lets people understand where a link goes, or what it does, before they activate it. WCAG Success Criterion 2.4.4, Link Purpose (In Context), Level A, requires that the purpose of each link can be determined from the link text alone, or from the link text together with its programmatically determined link context, except where the purpose of the link would be ambiguous to users in general. The W3C states the goal plainly: users understand what each link will do, so they can decide whether they want to follow it. This article explains why link text such as "click here" or "read more" is not always enough, what the criterion means by "context", and how to write link text that works for everyone.
What WCAG 2.4.4 says about descriptive link text
The success criterion is short: the purpose of each link can be determined from the link text alone or from the link text together with its programmatically determined link context, except where the purpose of the link would be ambiguous to users in general. The W3C defines link purpose as the nature of the result obtained by activating a hyperlink.
The Understanding 2.4.4 document spells out the intent: whenever possible, provide link text that identifies the purpose of the link without needing additional context. Context is allowed, but the W3C recommends, whenever possible, link text that makes sense without additional context.
When a link takes you to a document or a web application, the name of that document or application is sufficient to describe its purpose. The W3C notes that using the name is not required: other wording can also describe the purpose of the link.
- Conformance level: A.
- What is assessed: the purpose of the link, meaning what happens when it is activated.
- Two accepted routes: link text alone, or link text plus programmatically determined context.
- One exception: links whose purpose would be ambiguous to users in general.
Why "click here" and "read more" are not always enough
Assistive technology can give users a list of the links on a web page. The W3C points out that link text that is as meaningful as possible helps users who pick a link from that list, as well as people who tab from link to link. Meaningful link text helps these users choose which links to follow without complicated strategies to understand the page. Conversely, in our view, generic text such as "click here" or "read more", taken in isolation, does not tell you the destination.
The benefits described by the W3C show who is affected. People with motion impairment can skip links they are not interested in, avoiding the keystrokes needed to visit the content and come back. People with cognitive limitations are not disoriented by navigating to and from content they do not care about. People with visual disabilities can determine the purpose of a link by exploring its context.
The W3C adds two best practices: links with the same destination should have consistent text, and links with different purposes and destinations should have different text. For pages in a set, consistent text for links with the same destination is in fact a requirement under Success Criterion 3.2.4 Consistent Identification.
Link context: what really counts under 2.4.4
The criterion allows part of the link description to sit in logically related text that provides context. The W3C's condition: users should be able to identify the purpose of the link without moving focus away from it, arriving on a link and learning more about it without losing their place.
Programmatically determined link context is additional information that can be programmatically determined from relationships with a link, combined with the link text, and presented to users in different modalities. In HTML, in the W3C example for a link in English, it includes text in the same paragraph, list item or table cell as the link, or in a table header cell associated with the cell containing the link. Because screen readers interpret punctuation, they can also provide context from the current sentence when focus is on a link in that sentence. Authors may also use an ARIA technique to associate other text on the page with the link.
The W3C gives the example of a news page listing the first few sentences of each article, followed by a "Read more" link. A screen reader command that reads the current paragraph provides the context needed to interpret the purpose of the link.
Conversely, failure F63 covers link context provided only in content that is not related to the link. The context must therefore sit in content related to the link.
- Put the description in the same sentence, paragraph, list item or table cell as the link.
- Place context before the link: the W3C says it is most usable there.
- If you must use ambiguous link text, put it at the end of the sentence that describes the destination, not at the beginning.
- Context that follows the link can confuse screen reader users reading the page in order.
How to write descriptive link text
A first W3C example: make the link out of the words that describe the information at the destination, as in the sentence "There was much bloodshed during the Medieval period of history", where "Medieval period of history" is the link: the text describes the information it leads to.
Align link text with the title of the target page. The W3C calls it good practice for the two to match or be very similar, as it gives continuity between the link clicked and the page the user lands on. Page titles are covered by Success Criterion 2.4.2 Page Titled.
For a link combining an icon and text, the W3C describes a voting machine icon and the text "Government of Ireland's Commission of Electronic Voting" in a single link: the icon's alt text is null, since the text already describes the link's purpose. By contrast, a link whose only content is an image with no accessible name is failure F89.
In the W3C example of books offered in HTML, PDF and mp3, the first link for each book is its title, the second says "PDF" and the third "mp3", so users do not hear each title three times. Finally, the W3C describes it as a best practice for a link to a conforming alternate version to indicate, in its link text, that the page it leads to is the more accessible version; this information may also be provided in text.
- G91 and H30: link text that describes the purpose of the link.
- G53, H77, H78 and H79: combine link text with its enclosing sentence, list item, paragraph or table cell.
- H81: in a nested list, combine link text with the parent list item.
- ARIA7 and ARIA8: use aria-labelledby or aria-label for link purpose.
- H33 and C7: supplement link text with the title attribute, or with part of the link text hidden with CSS.
- G189 and SCR30: let users choose between short and long link text.
When a link may stay ambiguous
The exception covers links whose purpose cannot be determined from the information on the page. A purpose is ambiguous to users in general when it cannot be determined from the link and all the information presented with it: readers without disabilities would not know what the link does until they activated it either.
The W3C's example is the sentence "One of the notable exports is guava", where "guava" is a link. It could lead to a definition, a chart listing the quantity exported or a photograph of people harvesting guava. All readers are unsure, and the person with a disability is not at a disadvantage. In a separate note, the W3C also mentions situations where a link's purpose is meant to be unknown: in a game, links reading "door #1", "door #2" and "door #3" are sufficient because their purpose is to create suspense for all users.
Any context available on the page that can be used to interpret the purpose of the link must still be made available in the link text or programmatically associated with the link to satisfy the criterion.
Checking the links on your pages
The W3C lists three test rules for 2.4.4: "Link has non-empty accessible name", "Link in context is descriptive" and "Links with identical accessible names and same context serve equivalent purpose". Using them is not required to check conformance, but they are defined and approved test methods.
In practice, we recommend finding generic or identical link text, then checking that the programmatically determined context (sentence, paragraph, list item, table cell or ARIA association) makes its purpose clear. Also check that every image link has an accessible name. To get started, run a free test of your pages with Conformly, then set up continuous monitoring to keep track of your content over time.
Frequently asked questions
Is "read more" link text a WCAG failure?
Not necessarily. Success Criterion 2.4.4, Level A, accepts short link text when its purpose can be determined with its programmatically determined context, such as the enclosing paragraph. The W3C uses article summaries followed by a "Read more" link as an example. Whenever possible, though, it recommends link text that makes sense without context. The W3C page also points to the separate criterion 2.4.9 Link Purpose (Link Only).
What is descriptive link text?
The term does not appear on the W3C page for Success Criterion 2.4.4. In this article, it means link text that meets Success Criterion 2.4.4, Level A: the purpose of the link, meaning the nature of the result obtained by activating it, can be determined from the link text alone or from the link text plus its programmatically determined context.
What context counts for WCAG 2.4.4?
In HTML, text in the same paragraph, list item or table cell as the link, or in an associated table header cell. Because screen readers interpret punctuation, the current sentence can also provide context, and an ARIA technique can associate other text with the link. Context provided only in content unrelated to the link is not enough: that is failure F63.
Is an image link without text accessible?
Not without an accessible name. Failing to provide an accessible name for an image that is the only content in a link is failure F89, which relates to Success Criteria 2.4.4, 2.4.9 and 4.1.2.
Can I use aria-label to make link text descriptive?
Yes. Among sufficient techniques, the W3C lists ARIA8, using aria-label, and ARIA7, using aria-labelledby, to identify link purpose.
Is the title attribute enough for accessible link text?
The W3C lists technique H33, supplementing link text with the title attribute, among sufficient techniques, under supplemental descriptions of link purpose. As its name says, H33 supplements link text; it is not presented as a way to replace it.
Further reading on Conformly
Sources
This article relies on the official sources listed at the end of the page.