How to avoid “click here” link text?
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Imagine a screen reader user asking their tool to list all the links in your email. They hear: "Click here. Click here. Click here." Which one leads to the sale? Which one goes to support? They've got no idea. That's the core problem with "click here" link text.
It fails because it has no meaning without context. Sighted readers see "Click here" next to surrounding text and figure out what it leads to. Screen reader users get the link text in isolation. A bare "click here" or "learn more" tells them nothing.
Make link text describe the destination. Instead of "Click here to download the 2024 annual report," just use "Download the 2024 annual report." Skip the action verb "click". that's implicit. Instead of "For more information, click here," write "Read our privacy policy." Instead of "Click here to shop," use "Shop the summer sale." Your link text should make sense on its own, without the surrounding sentence.
One more thing: longer link text is fine. You're not limited to two or three words. If you need to be more specific to help readers understand where they're going, do it. "View your order status" beats "View order." "Schedule a 30-minute demo" is clearer than "Schedule demo."
Next step: Grab a recent email you sent. Read through every link aloud. does each one make sense without the surrounding text? If you hear "click here" or "learn more," rewrite it to describe what the reader will find. Then test it in your email client to make sure the link text is intact.
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