Link Purpose
Link text must describe its destination — even out of context. Avoid 'click here', 'read more', 'learn more'. Empty links (no text at all) found on 47% of homepages.
A link's wording should make sense on its own. 'Read more' tells you nothing; 'Read our refund policy' does.
WCAG 2.4.4 (Level A) requires link purpose to be determinable from the link text alone, or from the link text plus its programmatic context. WCAG 2.4.9 (Level AAA) requires link purpose from the link text alone.
Patterns to fix: "Read more" → "Read more about color contrast". "Click here" → "Download the accessibility report". Icon-only links → add aria-label or visually hidden text.
Why this matters
Empty links and vague link text affect 47% of homepages. Screen reader users often navigate by listing all links on a page — a list of "click here" and "read more" links tells them nothing. Descriptive link text also benefits SEO and users scanning the page.
How to detect
Use a screen reader's links list feature (NVDA: Insert+F7, VO: Ctrl+Option+U) to see all links out of context. Does each one make sense on its own? Run WAVE to find empty links (links with no text content).