Rule: Link text must describe the link target

Rule ID Link 1
Conformance Required
Definition The accessible name of a link must accurately describe the target or purpose of the link.
Purpose
  • When the accessible name of a link does not describe its target or purpose, users will not have the information they need to determine the usefulness of the target resources.
  • Following links to target resources that do not provide the expected informational value is inefficient and potentially frustrating.
Conformance Required
WCAG Success Criteria

Success Criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context)

Other Related Success Criterion:

Rule Category Links
Rule Scope Element
Techniques
  • The text content of a link, which is its default accessible name, should uniquely describe the target or purpose of the link.
  • Use aria-label, aria-labelledby or the title attribute to provide a more descriptive accessible name when the text content of the link cannot be changed.
  • Use aria-describedby to provide additional information for links that share the same accessible name but have different contexts to allow users to differentiate among them.
  • If the content of a link includes an img element, the accessible name for the link will incorporate the text alternative specified for the image.
Information Links