Links

This page covers:

• the two parts of a link
• how to write good link text
• link placement
• button styling

A link is made up of:

• a web address (URL). For example 'https://sport-exercise.ed.ac.uk/gym-memberships'
• link text, which is displayed on the page. For example, 'Gym memberships'

Good link text is easy to interpret and makes sense without its surrounding context.

Using a web address (URL) as link text makes the link difficult to interpret and is not compatible with assistive technology that turns text into speech.

Link text must help the user predict where the link will take them.

Do not use link text such as:

• Click here
• More information
• Learn more

These examples do not tell the user where the link will go and they make your site less accessible.

If links go to different places, use different link text for each one.

Users might not read the entire web page, so link text must make sense without its surrounding content.

When linking to information, you can use the title of the page you are linking to, provided it is suitably descriptive. For example:

Gym memberships

When the link text describes an action, start it with a verb. For example:

Browse programmes by subject

Avoid duplicating links where you can.

If you need to include multiple links on a page that go to the same destination, use the same link text for all of them.

Where relevant it can be useful to help users predict what a link will do by adding details of whether the link will:

• open in a new tab
• require a University login  
• open a type of file (PDF, Excel, Word)

If a link goes to an external website, include the name of the website at the end of the link text.

Screen readers (text-to-speech assistive software) can read out links without their surrounding text, allowing users to jump from link to link and quickly find the one they are looking for.

Following our link text guidance enables screen reader users to effectively navigate links on a page.

Putting links on a new line makes it easier to write clear, accessible link text. It also helps to keep links distinct from paragraph text.

Do not place a link mid-sentence (inline).

You can style links as buttons to make them prominent and easy to find.

Reserve buttons for the most important links on a page. When there are too many buttons, they compete for the user’s attention and lose their effectiveness.