Connecting documents.
WHAT A LINK REQUIRES
A destination, and text describing where it goes.
WHAT MAKES LINK TEXT USEFUL
It describes the destination, out of context.
WHY OUT OF CONTEXT
Screen reader users frequently list all links on a page, and read them without surrounding text.
WHAT THAT RULES OUT
"Click here" "Read more" "This link"
WHAT TO WRITE INSTEAD
The destination or the action.
WHAT ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE ADDRESSES ARE
Absolute: the complete address, including the site
Relative: a path from the current document
WHEN TO USE EACH
Relative, within your own site Absolute, for external destinations
WHAT TO BE CAREFUL WITH
Links opening in a new window without warning Links that are actually actions
WHY THAT SECOND POINT
A link should navigate. An action that changes something should be a button.
WHAT THAT AFFECTS
Keyboard behaviour, assistive technology, and whether crawlers trigger it.
WHAT TO CHECK
That every link has a destination and meaningful text.
