{"id":6523,"date":"2025-04-28T12:51:16","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T12:51:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/accessbydesign.uk\/?p=6523"},"modified":"2025-04-17T13:03:27","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T13:03:27","slug":"whats-the-best-way-to-avoid-using-the-c-word","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/accessbydesign.uk\/abd\/whats-the-best-way-to-avoid-using-the-c-word\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s the best way to avoid using the c-word?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Expanding on inclusive link text<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s call out the culprit straight away: \u201cClick here.\u201d<\/strong>
\nIt crops up on every other page, yet for many people it\u2019s about as helpful as a \u201cWet Paint\u201d sign written in braille and hung face\u2011down.<\/p>\n

Why \u201cclick here\u201d falls short<\/h3>\n
    \n
  • Screen\u2011reader users get no context.<\/strong> A blind visitor tabbing through links hears a chorus of identical \u201cclick here, click here\u2026\u201d, but zero clue about what each link actually does.<\/li>\n
  • Keyboard\u2011only and voice\u2011control users don\u2019t always click<\/em>.<\/strong> Tapping Enter, issuing \u201copen\u201d commands or working a sip\u2011and\u2011puff switch is hardly \u201cclicking\u201d, so the wording already excludes them.<\/li>\n
  • SEO and skim\u2011readers miss out.<\/strong> Descriptive link text doubles as an anchor for search engines and a visual cue for sighted users scanning the page.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Better patterns (short, sweet and inclusive)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Poor<\/th>\nBetter<\/th>\nEven better (with extra cues)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Click here<\/td>\nDownload our brochure<\/td>\nDownload our brochure (PDF, 2 MB)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Click here for event details<\/td>\nView upcoming events<\/td>\nView upcoming events (opens in new tab)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Click here to read more<\/td>\nRead the full case study<\/td>\nRead the full case study on accessibility<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    Notice how each improved link tells you what will happen<\/strong> before you activate it\u2014no hidden surprises, no insider knowledge required.<\/p>\n

    The \u201cmouthful\u201d objection<\/h3>\n

    Yes, \u201cFollow this link to download our brochure\u201d is technically descriptive, but it still buries the verb (download) under throat\u2011clearing fluff. Trim the fat and you get \u201cDownload our brochure\u201d\u2014five words that do exactly what they say on the tin. Job done.<\/p>\n

    The golden rule<\/h3>\n

    If you can plonk your link text into the sentence \u201cI want to ___,\u201d and it still makes sense, you\u2019ve nailed it:<\/p>\n

    I want to download our brochure<\/strong>. \u2705
    \nI want to click here<\/strong>. \u274c<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Swap every vague \u201cclick here\u201d for a purpose\u2011led phrase and you\u2019ll tick WCAG 2.4.4 \u2013 Link Purpose (In Context)<\/strong>, boost usability for everyone and\u2014bonus\u2014look far more professional in the process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Expanding on inclusive link text Let\u2019s call out the culprit straight away: \u201cClick here.\u201d It crops up on every other page, yet for many people it\u2019s about as helpful as a \u201cWet Paint\u201d sign written in braille and hung face\u2011down. Why \u201cclick here\u201d falls short Screen\u2011reader users get no context. A blind visitor tabbing through links hears a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat\u2019s the best way to avoid using the c-word? - Access by Design<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Expanding on inclusive link text Let\u2019s call out the culprit straight away: \u201cClick here.\u201d It crops up on every other page, yet for many people it\u2019s\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What\u2019s the best way to avoid using the c-word?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Expanding on inclusive link text Let\u2019s call out the culprit straight away: \u201cClick here.\u201d It crops up on every other page, yet for many people it\u2019s\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/accessbydesign.uk\/abd\/whats-the-best-way-to-avoid-using-the-c-word\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Access by Design\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-28T12:51:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/accessbydesign.uk\/abd\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/homepage.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"551\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Clive Loseby\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Clive Loseby\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/accessbydesign.uk\\\/abd\\\/whats-the-best-way-to-avoid-using-the-c-word\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/accessbydesign.uk\\\/abd\\\/whats-the-best-way-to-avoid-using-the-c-word\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Clive Loseby\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/accessbydesign.uk\\\/abd\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ed61e68b1b4dc827d3e59ea02c9f2c07\"},\"headline\":\"What\u2019s the best way to avoid using the c-word?\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-28T12:51:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/accessbydesign.uk\\\/abd\\\/whats-the-best-way-to-avoid-using-the-c-word\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":350,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/accessbydesign.uk\\\/abd\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Blog\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/accessbydesign.uk\\\/abd\\\/whats-the-best-way-to-avoid-using-the-c-word\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/accessbydesign.uk\\\/abd\\\/whats-the-best-way-to-avoid-using-the-c-word\\\/\",\"name\":\"What\u2019s the best way to avoid using the c-word? 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