Link Purpose (In Context)
A link's text (or its accessible name) should tell someone where it goes or what it does, without needing extra context to figure it out.
What it means
Screen reader users often pull up a list of every link on a page to navigate quickly — outside the surrounding sentence, outside any visual context. If every third link just says "click here" or "read more," that list is useless. A link needs real, distinguishing text, or an aria-label that serves the same purpose.
Why it matters
It's the difference between a list of links that reads like "Donate," "Volunteer," "Contact the board" and one that reads like "Click here," "Click here," "Learn more" — one is navigable, the other tells you nothing about where any of them go.
What our scan checks for
- Links with no text content, no aria-label, and no title attribute at all — most commonly an icon-only link (a bare social icon, an "X" close button) with nothing backing it up as an accessible name.
How to fix it
- Give links real, descriptive text whenever you can — say what's on the other end, not just "click here."
- For icon-only links, add an aria-label describing the destination or action (aria-label="Close this dialog", not aria-label="Icon").
- If an image is the only content of a link, its alt text does the same job — make sure it's descriptive rather than blank.
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