How to Write Descriptive Link Text for CTA buttons in uConnect

 

Overview

When you add links or call-to-action (CTA) buttons to your virtual career center, the words you use to label them matter — not just for aesthetics, but for accessibility. Vague link text like "Click here" or "Learn more" creates barriers for students and visitors who use screen readers or keyboard navigation to browse your site. These tools read links out of context, so a page full of "click here" links gives users no meaningful information about where each link goes.

The good news: writing descriptive link text is a small habit change with a big impact, and uConnect's built-in WordPress Block Editor makes it easy to do this directly in your platform.

Why This Matters

Before diving in, here's a quick way to think about it:

Imagine a student using a screen reader navigating your career center. Instead of reading the full page, their screen reader jumps from link to link. If every link says "click here," they have no idea what they're about to open. But if a link says "Schedule a Career Advising Appointment," they know exactly where it leads — and can decide if it's relevant to them.

Descriptive link text helps all of your students — including those with visual impairments, cognitive disabilities, or anyone scanning your page quickly.

Step 1: Identify Where Links and CTAs Live on Your Pages

Before making updates, do a quick scan of your virtual career center pages to locate any links or buttons you've added.

Common places to check include:

• Homepage hero sections and featured content blocks
• Resource and event pages
• Announcements or news sections
• Any pages where you've added buttons using the Block Editor

What to look for: Any link or button whose text says something like "Click here," "Here," "Learn more," "Read more," or "This link." These are the ones you'll want to update.

Step 2: Open the Page in the WordPress Block Editor

1. Log in to your uConnect admin dashboard.
2. Navigate to the page you want to edit.  
   1. If it's a content type or Page, it will be under the Publish section.
   2. If it's a Community page, it will be under the Manage section. 
3. Click Edit to open the page in the WordPress Block Editor.

Step 3: Locate the Link or Button Text You Want to Update

Once you're in the Block Editor:

1. Scroll through your page blocks to find the link or CTA button you identified in Step 1.
2. Click on the block containing the link or button to select it.
• If it's a Button Block, you'll see the button text highlighted and editable directly.
• If it's a Paragraph or Heading Block with hyperlinked text, click into the block to reveal the text and its formatting.

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Step 4: Rewrite the Link or Button Text to Be Descriptive

This is the most important step. Replace vague language with text that clearly tells the user where the link goes or what action it performs.

A helpful formula to follow:

[Action verb] + [specific destination or outcome]

Here are some before-and-after examples to guide you:

Tips to keep in mind:

• Be specific but concise. Aim for 4–8 words that describe the destination clearly.
• Avoid starting every button with the same word. If every button on a page says "View," it becomes repetitive for screen reader users. Vary your action verbs: Explore, Download, Register, Schedule, Browse.
• Don't include the URL as the link text. A raw URL like https://uconnect.edu/events is not helpful for anyone.
• Skip the phrase "link to." Screen readers already announce that something is a link — you don't need to say it in the text itself.

Step 5: Update the Link Text in the Block Editor

For Button Blocks:

1. Click directly on the button text inside the block.
2. Highlight the existing text and type your new, descriptive label.
3. Confirm the button's destination URL is still correct by clicking the link icon in the toolbar.

For Hyperlinked Text within a Paragraph or Heading Block:

1. Click into the block and highlight the existing hyperlinked text (e.g., "click here").
2. Retype or paste your new descriptive text.
3. Reapply the hyperlink if needed by clicking the Link icon (🔗) in the Block Editor toolbar and entering the destination URL.

Step 6: Preview and Publish Your Changes

1. Click Preview to view your changes before they go live. Read through your links as if you were seeing the page for the first time — does each link text make it clear where it leads?
2. If everything looks good, click Save (or Publish) to save your changes.
3. Repeat this process for any additional pages identified in Step 1.

 

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Quick Reference: Dos and Don'ts