I've often used "Click Here" for links on my site, but I just recently heard that "Click Here" is not a good accessibility practice. So, what's wrong with using "Click Here" links?
I'm so glad you asked! Using descriptive link text (i.e., avoiding "Click Here" links) is one of the easiest ways to make your website content more accessible and usable for everyone!
As we mention in our Top 10 Tips for Making Your Website Accessible, using "click here" is not considered descriptive, and is ineffective for a screen reader user.
Just like sighted users scan the page for linked text, visually-impaired users can use their screen readers to scan for links. As a result, screen reader users often do not read the link within the context of the rest of the page. Using descriptive text properly explains the context of links to the screen reader user.
The most unique content of the link should be presented first, as screen reader users will often navigate the links list by searching via the first letter.
For example, if you are pointing visitors to a page called "About Us":
- Try not to say: "Click here to read about our company."
- Instead, say: "To learn more about our company, read About Us."
Additionally, as the Web Access team likes to say, "Google is blind." Search engines read the web much like screen readers do, so creating targeted and relevant link text will improve the overall SEO (Search Engine Optimization) of your website. No one ever searches for the term "Click Here" in a search engine!
Overall, using descriptive link text improves the readability of your content, since everyone can easily scan for links and find what they're looking for!