Link text on Canvas should be unique within a page, should be meaningful when read out of context, and should help users to know something about their destination if they click on it. When adding links to Canvas course content, there are best practices for ensuring those links are accessible to users with disabilities.
Meaningful Link Text
When determining meaningful link text, consider the various ways users interact with links:
- Screen reader users sometimes navigate web pages and documents using the tab key, in which case they jump between links, buttons, and form fields. When they land on a link, their screen reader announces “link” and reads the link text. This should be sufficient information for users to form a reasonable expectation of what will happen if they follow the link.
- Screen reader users can generate a list of links and navigate them in their order on the page, or sort them alphabetically (see screenshot below). Redundant or ambiguous link text such as “Click here” or “Read more” is meaningless in this context.
- Users of voice input technology can select a link with a voice command like “click” followed by the link text. Therefore, it is also helpful to use unique link text that is short and easy to say.
Try to always use link text that meets the criteria explained above. For example, consider the following sentence, where the link text “click here” does not meet the criteria:
For more information about UMSL Athletics, click here.
A better approach would be to rephrase the sentence so that “UMSL Athletics” is the link text:
For more information, see UMSL Athletics.
In this example, the link text “UMSL Athletics” makes sense independently of context. If users encounter this link (for example) in a list of links, they know what to expect if they follow the link. They don’t need the original context to figure that out.
Changing Text of Course Links
When adding links to pages within Canvas, the Rich Content Editor provides two options: External Links and Course Links.
If you select Course Links, you can add links to a wide variety of course content, including pages, assignments, quizzes, discussions, and more.When added to the current page, the default link text will be the title of that resource. This may or may not be good/ meaningful link text (e.g., unique on the page, easy to understand, able to stand alone independently of context).
To edit the link text for any Course Link, simply click the link and select “Link Options”. A form will appear in the sidebar where you can edit the link text.
