Accessible Links

Use descriptive hyperlink text in place of bare URLs. Effective link text helps readers locate links and understand their destination and purpose. For users of assistive technology hyperlink text can be used to navigate content quickly. Bare URLs or links written as “click here” or “read more” provide less information to everyone and are not useful to assistive technology users for navigation.

On this page:

• Linked Text
• Create Links
• Cybersecurity
• Citations

Do not use bare URLS and avoid ambiguous links.

The exceptions are for email addresses and short, top-level URLs such as Langara.ca

If necessary to provide a URL, such as on a document you are directly printing for distribution, consider using link shorteners like bit.ly or tinyurl.

Linked Text

Hyperlink text should be:

Descriptive

Describe the destination and purpose of the link, independent of adjacent text. For example: Consult the Word accessible link guide for more information.

“Click here” or “More” are not useful as those links do not include purpose or information and are dependent on the surrounding context.

Screen reader software allows users to navigate a document by moving link to link. This is useful to skip content, browse, and revisit a link. As such, links should be unique and make sense without surrounding context.

Bare URLs are tedious to listen to and tell readers almost nothing. Do not include bare URLs. The exceptions are short URLs intended to be memorized, such as langara.ca, URLs shortened using tools like bit.ly, or email addresses. For email address, avoid linking “email us”. Instead, write out and link the actual address. That methods gives user the greatest freedom to click the link or copy the address.

Concise

To Create Links

1. Write a description of the link destination using informative and relevant words. For example: Accessible links in PowerPoint or Digital Accessibility Essentials.
2. Select descriptive text and use built-in tools to insert a link. In most platforms, the link button will resemble a chain or interlocking loops, such as:
   1. Or, on most platforms press Control (Command on macOS) k.
3. Paste the destination URL in the address or URL box.

For more information, refer to writing links in Word, creating links in PowerPoint, and how to create links in Brightspace.

Most platforms’ default link styling is accessible on white backgrounds. Avoid deviating from the default styling.

Cybersecurity

Distributing bare URLs has been justified under the counterproductive guise of cybersecurity. The assertion is that users do not want to click on descriptive hyperlinks for fear of navigating to a fraudulent website.

Users can hover their mouse over, or move keyboard focus to, a link and examine the URL in the floating tooltip in documents or the bottom left corner of their browser window.

Do not post, publish, or share bare URLs. Write descriptive links.

Citations

For online-only resources (that is, not to be printed) APA style recommends hyperlinking the title of the work in the reference list. For online-only content MLA style recommends hyperlinking the resource title on the works cited page.

However, for printed material APA guideline 9.35 requires that URLs and DOIs include “http://” or “https://” in a reference list citation (298-300). According to MLA Handbook guideline 5.96, in printed material URLs may be truncated to omit “http://” or “https://” but must include the remainder of the URL in the location element of a works cited entry (195). However, according to guideline 5.93, if the item is identified by a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), “https://” must be included (194).

Unfortunately, neither of these guidelines address the issue that a reader may choose to print an ‘online-only’ resource. This leaves creators in a potentially tricky position. While some may adhere to the rigid rules of various citation guidelines, best practice is to prefer accessibility and provide hyperlinked text over bare URLs whenever possible.

References