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The WCAG Primer is intended for use by the UK cross government accessibility community.

2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (A)

Understanding 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (A)

The purpose of every link must be clear from its link text, or its link text plus associated content if assistive technologies recognise the association. This ensures that screen reader users can understand the purpose of links without reading nearby content, and that speech recognition users can target links accurately using voice commands.

Requirements / What to do?

  • Link text clearly indicates the purpose of the link;
  • Multiple links that point to the same destination have the same link text;
  • Links have accessible names.

Common mistakes

  • A link has text that does not indicate its purpose;
  • A link points to the same destination as another link, but uses different link text;
  • A link points to a unique destination, but uses the same text as other links;
  • A link has text that depends on nearby content to be understood, but that content is not automatically identified by assistive technologies;
  • A link uses a CSS background image, and has no visible accessible name.

Useful resources