• Success Criterion 2.4.4
  • Conformance level A

Link Text That’s Just a Long, Meaningless Tracking URL

2.4.4 — Link Purpose (In Context)

Scenario

Setting

A used-car marketplace's listing filter

What’s wrong

Link text is a raw URL that doesn't convey purpose (long tracking URLs).

Example 

<a href="https://cars.example.com/search?ref=fb_share&utm_campaign=q3&sid=8827x">
  https://cars.example.com/search?ref=fb_share&utm_campaign=q3&sid=8827x
</a>

Why it matters

A screen reader reads out the entire tracking string character by character, giving the user no sense of what the link actually leads to.

How to test

Check a link whose visible text is a raw tracking URL: read it aloud — if it doesn't convey the destination's purpose, it fails.

How to fix

A URL is rarely meaningful link text; describe the destination in words instead.

<a href="https://cars.example.com/search?ref=fb_share&utm_campaign=q3&sid=8827x">
  Share this search: 2018-2021 SUVs under $20,000
</a>

Outcome

A shopper shares the search link and screen reader users hear what the search actually covers.

Who is affected

Screen reader and low-vision users trying to scan links get an unreadable wall of characters instead of a purpose.

Learn more

Related scenarios