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Correcting Links Without Readable Text
Correcting Links Without Readable Text

Suggestions for correcting 'No readable (discernible) link text ' flags.

Updated this week

Correcting Simple Text Links

When creating basic link text, take a moment to ensure that it gives users a clear idea of where the link will take them. Since most screen readers allow users to access a list of just the links in a page, imagine how the links on your page would look or read in a list.

BAD

Click here to read about the WCAG Overview.

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/">Click here</a> to read about the WCAG Overview.

When using a screen reader, a visitor would only see or hear the words 'Click here' when reviewing a list of links for a page. This would give them no idea of the link destination.

GOOD

Read more details in the WCAG Overview article.

Read more details in the<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/">WCAG Overview article</a>

By providing the user the text 'WCAG Overview article' for the link text, there is no doubt in the link destination.

Correcting Repetitive Link Text

When your site has a page that provides an overview of other pages, such as a news or blog home page, you need to ensure that any repetitive links have the appropriate associated text for links to the full article.

An example, on our DubBlog home page, each entry has a Read More button. Without special treatment, this text would not provide the user with appropriate readable text for these links.

DubBlog home page showing two article entries, pointing out two links with the buttons reading 'Read More'

Manual Solution

If you manually produce the content for such an overview page, you can add an aria-label attribute with the appropriate descriptive text to your link. The content inside the aria-label tag will be read to the screen reader user instead of just 'Read More.'

<a aria-label="Read More of Holiday Office Hours">Read More</a>

Automated Solution

If a CMS generates your overview page, you can automate the creation of an 'aria-labelledby' attribute. Following is the code used on the page shown above:

<a aria-labelledby="link_0c6889b20a1504b4639b94e4e999abe8 of blog_0c6889b20a1504b4639b94e4e999abe8" class="button is-rounded" href="2024/accessibility-vs-aesthetics.html" id="link_0c6889b20a1504b4639b94e4e999abe8">Read More</a>

The aria-labelledby attribute added above pulls in the article title from this part of the page's HTML:

<h2 class="title" id="blog_0c6889b20a1504b4639b94e4e999abe8">Accessibility vs. Aesthetics: Finding the Balance in Your Design</h2>

This type of automated solution will most likely need to be handled by someone who manages the back-end of your CMS.

Correcting Readable Text for Image Links

When images are used as links, the alt tag for the image is read as the discernible text for the link. In such cases, be sure you refer to the destination of the link in the alt text.

DubBot home page pointing out our top, left logo

From the DubBot logo in the top, left of our DubBot Home page.

​​<a class="navbar-item mr-5" href="../index.html">
<img alt="DubBot homepage" src="../_image/dubbot-primary-logo.jpg">
</a>

Correcting Links with no Text

The most common offender we see in this area is social media icons.

GOOD
<a href="https://twitter.com/dubbotqa" aria-label="Twitter" class="icon icon-twitter"></a>

Even though there is no content between the <a> and </a> tags, adding the 'aria-label' attribute ensures that discernible text will be announced to our screen reader users.


Learn More with WCAG

Looking for the basics on Discernable (Readable) Link Text?

DubBot Flag: Link does not have readable (discernible) link text

If you have questions, please contact our DubBot Support team via email at help@dubbot.com or via the blue chat bubble in the lower right corner of your screen. We are here to help!

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