Accessible Hyperlinks are meaningful text or descriptive hyperlinks. These are weblinks disguised as descriptive text; clicking the link will take the user to the website. When creating digital content, each URL (Uniform Resource Locator), web address, or link that is a text string that specifies the location of a resource on the internet must have a meaningful text that describes its purpose without relying on the surrounding text. While it is important to be descriptive, keep it as concise as possible.

Assistive Technology, such as screen readers, will announce the word "link" aloud when they come across a URL (Uniform Resource Locator), web address, or hyperlink. It will spell out each character from the URL (Uniform Resource Locator), web address, or hyperlink.  

Hyperlinks come in various forms, each serving a unique purpose:

• Text Links: These are the most frequently seen type, and they are clickable text elements that lead you to a different webpage. They’re usually underlined and colored differently to stand out.

• Image Links: These are graphics or images that act as links. Clicking on the image takes you to another webpage. A common example is a website logo linking back to the homepage.

• Button Links: These are clickable buttons that take you to a different webpage. 

• Email Links: Clicking on these links opens up a new email draft in your email, addressed to a specified email. They’re typically used in “Contact Us” sections.

• Bookmark Links: These links take you to a specific section of a webpage, which is particularly useful for lengthy pages where scrolling can be tedious.

• Download Links: Clicking on these links initiates a file download. They’re often used for downloadable resources like PDF files, images, or software programs.

It’s crucial to remember that hyperlinks' goal is to enhance all users' experience by providing easy access to relevant content.

Please be mindful when writing the descriptive link in the display text field. There is no need to include the word "link" in the meaningful descriptive text. 

Many screen readers, including NVDA, JAWS, and VoiceOver, allow users to filter and only read the Web page links, as demonstrated in the image below listing links from this page. As the list shows, some URLs (Uniform Resource Locator), web addresses, or hyperlinks are meaningful text, and some are not. Here are some examples from a Penn State JAWS demonstration of inaccessible descriptive links that may cause confusion or frustration; if all the screenreader is saying aloud is "Click here," "here," or "Read More," out of context is more usable in a list.

The best practice is to avoid non-informative link phrases such as the following:

• Click here
• Here
• Learn more
• More info
• Read more
• link to [some link destination]

Instead, use more descriptive language and meaningful text such as:

• How to add alternative text to images
• Learn how to make your work accessible
• Read more on making Word documents accessible

Here are some simple steps to add descriptive hyperlinks In Microsoft Applications:

• Highlight the URL and right-click.
• Select “Link” then Insert Link.
• Enter the descriptive text in the "Display text."

Here are some simple steps to add descriptive hyperlinks using a MAC.

• To add a descriptive hyperlink in Microsoft Word on a Mac, select the text you want to link, then click Insert Hyperlink.
• You can also right-click on the text and select Hyperlink.

Remember that the default color of a hyperlink is blue and is underlined. So avoid having your content's background color dark or blue.