How to write accessible web content

Hyperlinks in web content

This guidance is for anyone creating or editing council web content. You do not need technical or accessibility expertise to follow it.

Use clear and descriptive link text. This helps all users, including people using assistive technologies, understand where links go and what will happen when they click them.

What links are

Hyperlinks (or links) are text people can select to go to:

another page on the council website
documents, videos, or online forms
a trusted external website or service
an email address

Links usually stand out from normal text, for example, using colour or underlining. For most council content, text links are clearer and easier to understand than non-text links.

How to make link text understandable

A link should clearly show what it does or where it goes without relying on surrounding content.

This helps people:

with cognitive challenges, to understand where links go
with visual limitations, to identify links more easily
with motor difficulties, to skip links they do not need

Key tip: Always make link text understandable on its own.

Example: clear and unclear link text

Clear link text: 'The government has created this guidance on writing good link text (GOV.UK).'

Out of context, the link still reads: 'guidance on writing good link text (GOV.UK)'. This helps people quickly understand what the content is about and who published it.

Unclear link text: 'Read the government's guidance on writing good link text on the GOV.UK website by clicking here.'

Out of context, the link reads: 'clicking here.' This makes it harder to quickly understand where the link goes.

Explain what links do

Link text should explain what happens if selected if it is not obvious. A link may:

go to another website (GOV.UK)
download a document or open media [PDF], [Word], [YouTube], [SoundCloud]
open a system or online form [Microsoft Forms]
open an email application
have a barrier to access [requires login]

This helps people decide whether to follow the link.

External and internal links

Show external sources by including the organisation or brand name in round brackets within the link text.

Example: ‘Read more about writing good link text (GOV.UK).’

If the source is already clear, brackets are not needed.

Example: ‘Read GOV.UK’s guidance on writing good link text.’

Do not use round brackets for internal links unless there is a clear need.

Links with access barriers

Use square brackets to show links with barriers and put this within the link text.

Examples include:

Barriers: [opens in new tab], [requires login]
File types: [Word], [PDF], [Excel], [JPG], [PNG]
Large file sizes: [Word, 10MB]
Video or audio lengths and types: [YouTube, 12 minutes], [SoundCloud, 42 minutes]

This helps people avoid unexpected barriers.

How to write descriptive link text

Do:

be descriptive and accurate
start with an action when appropriate, like 'Apply for or renew a Blue Badge'
put important words at the start of the link
use page or document titles if helpful
use neutral words like 'read', 'visit', 'go to'
link to the page that hosts a document rather than the document itself
use short, clear email addresses (for example, departmentname@nottscc.gov.uk)
use sentence case, except for proper nouns, for example, 'This is sentence case’

Do not:

use vague text such as “click here” or “read more”
use the same link text for different destinations
use long web addresses as link text
make links too long or too short
describe actions people may not be do, like “click” on mobile

Link placement

Where links appear is as important as how they are written.

Do:

keep surrounding text short
place links where people expect them
put links at the end of a sentence or on their own line if clearer

Do not:

list links without context
group many links together
place links mid-sentence if it breaks reading flow
repeat the same link too often
put links in headings or document titles unless needed

Using web addresses in content

Avoid using full web addresses as your link text. Use descriptive selectable text instead.

Full web addresses:

can include symbols and numbers that do not explain purpose
are harder to scan and interrupt reading flow
are read out letter by letter or as a single string by screen readers

Web addresses are helpful in:

printed materials
posters or flyers, including with QR codes
easy read documents for offline use

Tips for displaying web addresses:

Keep it short and easy to read (or speak aloud)
Remove 'https://' when visually displaying text
Avoid long paths, numbers, or special characters

Example:

Good: www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/recyclingcentres
Poor: https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/environment/waste-and-recycling/recycling-centres/find-your-local-centre

Council short links

The council uses a short link service to make links easier to read and share.

If you think a short link would help, contact the Communications and Marketing team for advice.

Managing copied or broken links

Copying and pasting links from Microsoft Edge

Links copied from Microsoft Edge browser may paste as descriptive text by default. Always check:

text clearly explains where the link goes
the organisation’s brand name is used, not the web address

Example:

Copied from Edge: 'How to write hyperlink text for better web accessibility (scope.org.uk)'
Improved version: 'How to write hyperlink text for better web accessibility (Scope for Business)'

Learn more about URL copy and paste in Edge browser (Microsoft Support)

How to manage broken or outdated links

Broken or outdated links create barriers and reduce trust. Check and fix links regularly.

When reporting a broken link, include the page address and link text. This helps us fix issues quickly.

Examples of good and poor link text

These examples show how small changes can make links clearer.

Internal links:

Good: 'Find out more about how the council works.'
Poor: 'Find out more about how to the council works by clicking this link'

External links:

Good: 'The government has created this guidance on writing good link text (GOV.UK).'
Poor: 'Click here to learn more about writing link text.'

Document links:

Good: 'Download and print a paper short breaks application [PDF].'
Poor: 'Print a paper short breaks application by downloading this PDF.'

Call-to-action links:

Good: 'Before you arrive at the recycling centre, check what you can recycle.'
Poor: 'Click here to check what you can recycle before you arrive.'

Positioning links in content:

Good:

'Digital accessibility helps people with:

colour vision deficiency
blindness and vision loss
hearing loss
Dyslexia
Autism

To find out more about these conditions, go to the NHS's list of conditions'

Poor:

'Digital accessibility helps people with colour vision deficiency, blindness and vision loss, hearing loss, Autism and Dyslexia. Find out more on the NHS's list of conditions.'