Links

Meaningful Link Text

Link text helps visitors understand the purpose of the link – and to decide whether to follow the link or not. Link text should clearly describe the content at the link’s destination.

Links are used as navigation on screen readers

Many assistive technology tools provide visitors with a list of the links on the web page. Screen reader users can use this list of links as a form of sub-page navigation to skim through content. Screen readers can ignore all of the text around the link so the context can possibly lost and users cannot tell where it goes. The link text needs to be meaningful to enable users to confidently choose the link(s) that they need. People need to choose links without struggling to understand what their content is.

No ambiguous text

Do not use “click here”, and avoid using link text that is ambiguous, like “read more”. You should include information that is relevant, like the type of document and its size – such as “(pdf, 6Gb)” – to avoid causing someone to download an overly large document – or one that they don’t have the software to access.

If links are clearly labelled, those with motion impairment can skip links that they do not need, and avoid un-necessary clicks or keystrokes to visit content that may not be what they are looking.

Those with cognitive limitations are less likely to become disoriented with more than one means of navigation through the content that they may or may not be interested in. lastly, those who are visually disabled will have the power to determine the purpose of a link just by considering its context.

Examples

Do not use: “Click Here for the agenda for the X-team meeting on 09/23/2019.”

Please use: “The Agenda for the X-team meeting on 09/23/2019 has been circulated”

Adding and Editing Links

Microsoft Office: Word Documents, Excel Documents, Powerpoint Documents, and Outlook Messages
PDF Documents
Purchase College Website
Broadcast Emails

Adding Links to Word Documents, Excel Documents, Powerpoint Documents, and Outlook Messages

This text is from “Create or edit a hyperlink” on support.office.com, please read the full documentation through this link.

Applies To: Excel 2016, Word 2016, Outlook 2016, PowerPoint 2016, Office 2016, Excel 2013, Word 2013, Outlook 2013, PowerPoint 2013, Excel 2010, Word 2010, Outlook 2010, PowerPoint 2010, Excel 2007, Word 2007, Outlook 2007, PowerPoint 2007, Office 2007, Office 2010, Excel Starter 2010, Word Starter 2010, Office 2013

The fastest way to create a basic hyperlink in an Office document is to press ENTER or the SPACEBAR after you type the address of an existing webpage, such as http://www.contoso.com. Office automatically converts the address into a link.

In addition to webpages, you can create links to existing or new files on your computer, to email addresses, and to specific locations in a document. You can also edit the address, display text, and font style or color of a hyperlink.

Create a hyperlink to a location on the web

Select the text or picture that you want to display as a hyperlink.
On the Insert tab, click Hyperlink button .
You can also right-click the text or picture and click Hyperlink on the shortcut menu.
In the Insert Hyperlink box, type or paste your link in the Address box.

Note: If you don’t see the Address box, make sure Existing File or Web Page is selected under Link to.

Optionally, type different display text for your link in the Text to display box.

Note: If you don’t know the address for your hyperlink, click Browse the Browse the Web button to locate the URL on the Internet and copy it.

Optional: To customize the ScreenTip that appears when you rest the pointer over the hyperlink, click ScreenTip in the top-right corner of the Insert Hyperlink dialog box and enter the text you want.

Adding Links to PDF Documents

This text is from “Links and attachments in PDFs” on adobe.com/acrobat, please read the full documentation through this link.

Applies to: Acrobat 2017 Acrobat DC, Last Published: June 5, 2017

Create a link

Create a link using the Link tool

Choose Tools > Edit PDF > Link > Add or Edit.
The pointer becomes a cross hair, and any existing links in the document, including invisible links, are temporarily visible.
Drag a rectangle where you want to create a link. This is the area in which the link is active.
In the Create Link dialog box, choose the options you want for the link appearance.
Select one of the following link actions:
- Go To A Page View
  Click Next to set the page number and view magnification you want in the current document or in another document (such as a file attachment), and then click Set Link.
- Open A File
  Select the destination file and click Select. If the file is a PDF, specify how the document should open (for example in a new window or within an existing window), and then click OK.
  
  Note: If the filename is too long to fit in the text box, the middle of the name is truncated.
- Open A Web Page
  Provide the URL of the destination web page.
- Custom Link
  Click Next to open the Link Properties dialog box. In this dialog box, you can set any action, such as reading an article, or executing a menu command, to be associated with the link.

Edit a link

You can edit a link at any time. You can change its hotspot area or associated link action, delete or resize the link rectangle, or change the destination of the link. Changing the properties of an existing link affects only the currently selected link. If a link isn’t selected, the properties will apply to the next link you create.

Note: You can change the properties of several links at once if you drag a rectangle to select them using the Link tool or the Select Object tool.

Edit a link action

Select the Add or Edit link tool (Tools > Edit PDF > Link > Add or Edit).
Double-click the link rectangle.
In the Actions tab of the Link Properties dialog box, select the listed action you want to change, and click Edit.

Delete a link

Select the Add or Edit link tool (Tools > Edit PDF > Link > Add or Edit).
Select the link rectangle you want to delete.
Choose Edit > Delete, or press the Delete key.