Link has no accessible name

What this means

A link on the page has no discernible text that screen readers can announce. The user hears “link” but has no idea where the link goes or what it does.

WCAG requirement

Success Criterion 2.4.4 — Link Purpose (In Context): the purpose of each link can be determined from the link text alone, or from the link text together with its programmatically determined link context.

Common causes

• Links wrapping only an image with no alt text
• Icon-only links (e.g., a magnifying glass icon for search) with no aria-label
• Links with only whitespace or hidden text
• “Read more” links where the context is not programmatically associated

How to fix

1. Add text content to links: every link needs visible text or an aria-label
2. Image links need alt text: <a href="/search"><img src="search.svg" alt="Search"></a>
3. Icon links need aria-label: <a href="/search" aria-label="Search"><svg>...</svg></a>
4. Avoid generic text: “Click here” and “Read more” are uninformative — use descriptive link text