Links
The text of a link should adequately describe the link's destination (or what will happen when the user follows the link).
- Do not use vague text for links, like "Learn More" or "Click here".
- Use consistent language throughout a site to link to a specific page or section.
- URLs should not be used for link text.
- When linking to an email address, use the email address as the link text, since it is very common for the user's browser to not handle email links properly. Do not attempt to obfuscate the email address in any way. Our Content Delivery Network (CDN) provides email address obfuscation automatically to protect against most forms of automated email harvesting.
- When linking to a phone number, use the phone number as the link text (it is very common for the user's browser to not handle phone links properly, especially if they are browsing the page with a device other than their phone).
In links, or when describing how to navigate a page, do not use words that assume the user is interacting with the page in a certain modality. For example, users don't "click" on links when they can't use a mouse (whether using their phone to access the page or using some alternative input device) and not all users can "see" your content.
Do not use the same text to link to multiple locations. If two links on the same page use the text "Office of Admissions", the user will expect those links to lead to the same destination. Ideally, where this link sends the user would be consistent throughout SDSU. If they point to two different pages, the text of the link should be different (perhaps on a page for a joint program with UCSD where one of the links points to the UCSD Admissions website). If that is not possible for some reason, it is recommended that you contact an account administrator for help in applying an accessible label to the link.
