What 2.4.4 requires
The purpose of each link must be determinable from the link text alone, or from the link text together with its programmatically determined context: the sentence, paragraph, list item or table cell it's in, or the heading for that section. This is a plain-language summary. The normative text, including every exception, is in the W3C Recommendation, with the W3C's explanation in Understanding 2.4.4 (opens in a new tab) [1][2].
Exceptions and scope:
- Where the link's purpose would be ambiguous to users in general (for example, a link whose destination isn't known to anyone until they follow it).
Why it matters
Screen-reader users often pull up a list of all links on a page, where "Read more", "Click here" and "Learn more" appear ten times with nothing to tell them apart. And a link with no text at all (an icon or image with no name) is announced as just "link". Empty links were detected on 46.3% of the top million home pages in WebAIM's 2026 analysis [4].
Common failures
Empty links
An icon or image link with no accessible name.
<!-- Fails -->
<a href="/cart"><i class="icon-cart"></i></a>
<!-- Better -->
<a href="/cart"><i class="icon-cart" aria-hidden="true"></i><span class="sr-only">Cart</span></a>Repeated generic text with no context
Several "Read more" links in cards whose context isn't programmatically tied to the link.
<!-- Fails -->
<a href="/p/1">Read more</a>
<!-- Better -->
<a href="/p/1">Read more<span class="sr-only"> about wool coat care</span></a>Image links with alt text describing the picture
The alt says what's in the image, not where the link goes.
<!-- Fails -->
<a href="/"><img alt="blue bird logo"></a>
<!-- Better -->
<a href="/"><img alt="Acme home"></a>Can automated testing check 2.4.4?
Partly. Automation finds links with no name at all. It can't judge whether a name is clear.
| axe-core 4.13.0 rule | What it checks |
|---|---|
link-name | links have discernible text |
area-alt | image-map <area> elements have alternative text |
What automation can't decide: Whether "Read more" is clear in its context, whether two links with the same text go to different places (axe-core's identical-links-same-purpose rule maps to AAA 2.4.9, not 2.4.4), and whether an image link's alt describes its destination.
A clean automated result is never proof that 2.4.4 is met. See why sites pass axe-core but fail real screen reader users.
How to test it by hand
- With a screen reader, open the links list (for example NVDA+F7, or the VoiceOver rotor) and read it on its own.
- For each ambiguous link, check whether its sentence, list item, table cell or heading makes the purpose clear when you navigate to it.
- Check icon and image links: what's announced? The destination or action, or nothing?
- Check links that open new windows or download files and say so in the link text or an accessible hint.
New to screen readers? Start with how to test a website with a screen reader and how to test keyboard-only navigation.
How Accessible helps (and where it stops)
Scanning runs link-name and area-alt on every URL on a paid plan, so empty links are found sitewide. The assistant tools screen reader transcript lists every link's accessible name in reading order, which makes a quick human review of ambiguous names much faster. In journeys, a link the task depends on that announces nothing is reported at the step where it blocked progress.
Where it stops: Deciding whether a link name is clear enough in context is a human call. Accessible shows you what's announced, not whether it's well written. No automated tool, ours included, can certify that a criterion is met.
Related criteria
Sources
- Understanding Success Criterion 2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context) (opens in a new tab). W3C Web Accessibility Initiative. Accessed October 18, 2026.
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, Success Criterion 2.4.4 (opens in a new tab). W3C Recommendation. Accessed October 18, 2026.
- axe-core rule descriptions (opens in a new tab). Deque Systems, axe-core 4.13.0. Accessed October 18, 2026.
- The WebAIM Million: The 2026 report on the accessibility of the top 1,000,000 home pages (opens in a new tab). WebAIM, 2026. WAVE-detected errors on home pages only. Accessed October 18, 2026.
Meeting a success criterion is not the same as legal compliance, which depends on the rules that apply to you. No automated tool can certify conformance.